In My Veins
by B.DavisFanatic
Summary: Brooke Davis has come home from running her company in New York. But when she loses the company and is stuck with a man who mistreats her, she pushes away her friends and loses who she used to be. How can she ever get that back?
1. I'm Already Broken

**_So, this story, for me, is my most important one because it signifies what women in today's world go through every day of their life. I felt it was easier to write this as a One Tree Hill story because I can relate to the characters much better, so writing this would be a little easier on me. This is my first fanfiction, and it's my favorite one. This is a Brooke-centric story, but those of you that are Nathan, Haley, Peyton and Lucas fans, you'll get what you want. This story takes place around the middle of season 5. Brooke's mom took Clothes Over Bros from her when she came back to Tree Hill, so she turned to her boyfriend, Fletcher, for support. Although, Fletcher's not a good guy. He's never home, he's always out with girls, he's doing drugs, and all kinds of other illicit things. Even though he mistreats her, she feels the need to be loved by somebody. So with all this going on, Brooke spirals into this depression. She's become an alcoholic, and she's pushing all of her friends away. She hasn't seen Fletcher in weeks, and they talk on the phone maybe three times a week. She feels lost in the world, and she feels like there's no one she can go to for support anymore. Note: This story contains crude langauge, alcohol, drugs, sex, disability, rape, sucidal reference, and abuse. But, it also contains romance, guidance, friendship, family, hope, and love. :D So, we've got the best of both worlds in this story. I'm not sure for how long this story will drag on, but it'll be a while. I really hope you all enjoy my story, and review as often as you can. Thank you. :')_**

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><p>Haley put Brooke's arm around her shoulder and supported her up. She slowly walked out the door of Tric and walked Brooke to the car.<p>

"Brooke, you've got to stop drinking." Haley said worried for her friend.

"You can't tell me what to do... you're not my mommy." She said with a slurred voice.

"Brooke, you're going to make yourself sick."

"So what?"

Haley ignored this comment and opened the door to her car. Brooke resisted a few times, but Haley was stronger than Brooke at the moment. Haley got Brooke in the back seat and closed the door.

"Don't... go anywhere, Brooke." She said to her friend through the glass window.

"Make me." She said sticking her tongue out.

Haley shook her head and walked back into Tric. She looked in all directions for Lucas. She found him at the bar with Owen.

"Hey, Luke, I'm going to take Brooke home, did you want to leave or stay?"

"Uh, I'll stay a little while longer." He said holding a beer in his hand.

"Okay." Haley started walking back outside.

"Hey." He said stopping her. "Is it that bad- Brooke, I mean?"

"It's like it always is." She sighed. Haley walked back to the car and checked to make sure Brooke was still there. She couldn't see through the glass, so she peered through the window. She couldn't see Brooke.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Brooke screamed through the glass, trying to scare Haley. It worked. Brooke laughed an insanely drunken laugh that Haley was getting quite used to lately. Haley shrugged this off and walked to the driver's seat. When Haley opened the door, Brooke had managed to climb her way into the passenger's seat. Haley ignored this.

"Did you have fun?" Haley asked sarcastically while buckling her seatbelt.

"Hell no!" Brooke blurted out. "That was the worst amusment park I've ever been to!"

"Brooke..."

"I'm kidding!" She laughed. "Hales, I always have a good time at Tric." Haley drove out of the parking lot and headed toward Brooke's house.

"That's for sure." She mumbled.

"What? It's better than being at home." She exclaimed. Haley looked over and noticed Brooke wasn't buckled up.

"Brooke! Come on, stop being so careless!" She almost yelled at her.

"Alright, alright... relax." Brooke fussed with the seatbelt before Haley reached over and buckled it for her.

"You're gunna get us both killed, Brooke."

"Hey, you're the one driving." Brooke got up to Haley's face and looked her in the eyes. "Have you been drinking tonight?"

"No, I haven't Brooke. Have you?"

"Just one...after another." Brooke cackled.

Haley sighed. "Brooke, this has to stop."

"What are you talking about?"

"The drinking, Brooke. You're gunna end up breaking yourself." This hurt Brooke. She paused for a second.

"I'm already broken." She responded sounding as sober as ever. The two of them were as silent as they had ever been. Neither of them said a word, the rest of the way there. Haley pulled into Brooke's driveway.

"Alright... we're here."

"Thanks..." Brooke said, getting out of the car.

"Hey..." Haley grabbed Brooke's arm. "You know that you can talk to me... about anything... right?"

"I know..." Brooke trailed off. "Goodnight." She said while closing the car door. Brooke stumbled into her house and threw her purse toward the couch and missed. She plopped down on the couch and closed her eyes. She breathed in deeply and a tear fell from her eye. Her phone started to ring, but she ignored this. It went to voicemail.

_'Hey, you've reached Brooke Davis-' _

_'-And Fletcher Daniels. We-' _

_'We- wait, I was suppose to go first.'_

_'No, I was.' _

_'I was.'_

_'Be quiet, we're running out of time.'_

_'Leave a-'_

The answering machine was cut off. "Hey, baby girl. I'm still a little busy with work so, I might not be home for a while... actually, it might be a long while. Don't wait up..." The man's voice trailed off. "...No, go back to sleep..." He whispered to someone that was in the room with him. "Anyway, I should be back in the morning. So... I'll see you then." He trailed off again. "... No, I'll be right there..." He whispered again. "Goodnight, Brooke." He hung up. Brooke climbed off the couch and sauntered over to the phone. She stared at the phone for a moment, just standing there. She took the phone and snatched the cord out of the wall, then slammed the whole thing on the floor. After stomping on it a few times, she tried to run to her room but failed miserably. She sat down on her bed and sobbed for a moment. She slowly laid her head down and cried loudly and furiously into her pillow. She cried for a good twenty minutes before falling asleep. She dreamed about her and her boyfriend, Fletcher, actually having a good time for once.

Fletcher was always 'away on business', which Brooke didn't believe for a second. He had been unemployed for a long time, and she knew it. Brooke had been living poorly since Fletcher lost his job and she gave up her company to her mother. How could she believe the love of her life was actually 'working' when they never had any money? Unless he was constantly throwing away money on drugs and hookers. Which he did do, but not with money from his 'job'. Brooke had been miserable since she gave up her company. She felt like her life was over, and she could barely turn to her friends to support, even though they wanted to be there for her more than anything in the world. She didn't really know why she was still staying with Fletcher. Maybe because she needed someone by her side, or so she could have someone at her hip when she went to parties that wouldn't let her in otherwise... or maybe it was because she really did love him, and she just didn't know how to let go of him. Even though it was unrequited love, she needed someone to love her back.

Brooke woke up in the morning by the sound of a blender going off in the kitchen. She held her head against her ears, trying to ease the pain of her hangover. Every time she would cover her ears, the blender would turn off, but turn back on when she released her hands. Someone was teasing her. She crawled out of bed and walked into the kitchen.

"Are you trying to kill me?" She said to the person standing in the kitchen. It was Peyton. Peyton turned around and looked at Brooke.

"You look like shit."

"I'll bet." She said sitting in the bar stool. "What are you doing?"

"Making smoothies."

"In my kitchen?" She said holding her head in her hands.

"My blender's broken... _that_, and I need to talk to you about something."

"Let me spare you the trouble of pulling out the I'm-Peyton-Sawyer-Nobody-Loves-Me-People-Always-Leave-Tears... Lucas loves you, not Lindsey, no matter if they're getting married or not, okay? So-"

"No, Brooke... It's not about me... but thanks for that."

"Oh..."

"What happened last night, Brooke?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Exactly what I said... What happened last night?"

"What, I went to Tric last night, that's all."

"Well, that's not what Haley told me."

"Yeah, well tutor girl's got a big mouth."

"See, that... that right there is what I'm talking about."

"What?"

"Haley said you were different last night, and by 'different' she means, you weren't the same Brooke Davis from high school."

"Yeah, well, I'm _not _the same Brooke Davis from high school, Peyton... get used to it."

"... What's happened to you, Brooke? Is it the stuff with your company-?"

"It's not my company." She sighed. "It's Victoria's. It's always been Victoria's."

"That's not true, Brooke."

"Well, it's her's now."

"Well, you can do something new, Brooke."

"Like what? Oh, I have an idea, how 'bout I write a novel about a girl who's in love with a guy that's never going to love her back because he's getting married to his editor?" She snapped.

"Brooke..." Peyton scoffed. "You know what, fine, I tried." Peyton grabbed her things and stormed out of the house. Brooke took the glass that was sitting on the counter and threw it on the ground. She sat there a moment before she started crying- just like she did the night before. But Brooke was used to pushing her friends away. This had become a habit for her lately. She got up and walked back toward her room, stopping in the hallway to look at herself in the mirror. She stared at herself for a long time, trying to find the Brooke Davis that had been lost for a long, long time. And she wasn't sure if she could be found ever again.

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><p><em><strong>That's the end of chapter one, let me know what you think. ;D<strong>_


	2. I Don't Need Any Help

**_Someone asked me the other day why I named my story "In My Veins"... Well, I'll tell you right now for those of you that are curious. It's based off the song "In My Veins" By Andrew Belle. If you have not heard it, I suggest you listen to it. The lyrics in the song really signify what Brooke is going through and what she's feeling. Whenever I have a problem writing a chapter, I play that song and I can instantly channel Brooke. That way it's easier for me to write the old Brooke Davis but fill her with this new Brooke Davis that no one loves, including herself. The song also relates to how she feels in her relationships in this story as well. I'm telling you all now that it only gets darker from here on out. Each chapter will be even worse than the next, but by the time chapter 7 begins, I will have skipped ahead 6 months in time. Each chapter is going to get worse for Brooke until we reach that chapter 7 mark, so if you wanna see her happy again, you gotta wait a few chapters. But I promise you that no matter how bad things get for Brooke Davis, I will make it up for her in the end. :) Thank you for your reviews, it means a lot._**

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><p>Brooke was woken up, again, by the pounding sound of knocking at her door. She rolled over on the couch and covered her ears, hoping the noise would go away but it didn't. "Who the hell is it?" She yelled hoping it was no one that actually wanted to talk with her for more than two minutes. Even though that was pushing it. The door opened seconds later. It was Lucas. He stepped inside and closed the door quietly, realizing Brooke was dealing with a hangover. He said nothing to Brooke and, instead, walked into the kitchen and looked around in her fridge. "What? What? What is it that you want?" She groaned.<p>

"Good... afternoon to you, too, Brooke." He chuckled. "You do realize it's after three, right?"

"So?" She asked honestly not caring. Lucas closed the fridge and walked into the living room. He sat down on the coffee table and looked at Brooke, who could care less that he was there.

"Brooke, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you're over here asking me questions, when I want to be left alone."

"Are you okay, Brooke?"

"Why is everyone always asking me that?"

"Because we're worried about you, Brooke."

"I'm not sure why."

"Because... you changed, Brooke."

"Maybe everyone else is changing, Luke."

"I don't believe that... Brooke, I've known Haley my whole life and she hasn't changed... She calls me up saying you came home _wasted _last night. I've known Peyton for nine years, and she calls me up the next day saying you completely bitched her out! You're the one that's changed Brooke... a-and we don't know why."

"Maybe... it's none of your business."

"Brooke-"

"Did you want something, or are you just here to bug me?"

"I'm here to help you, Brooke."

"I don't need any help, Lucas."

"Yes, you do."

"And they sent _you _to help me? Fuck you."

"Brooke... what's going on with you?"

"Why don't you deal with your own drama, Luke?"

"Because this is more important to me."

"Yeah, I doubt it." She whispered.

"Look, Brooke, if you wanna talk-"

"No, Luke! I don't wanna fucking talk! I don't wanna say _anything _to _anyone_! Okay, let me deal with this by myself, and leave... me... alone!" Lucas was mad, but still wanted to help Brooke. No matter how much she refused everyone wanted to help her. She couldn't see how badly they wanted to help her, though. Lucas glared at her for a second and then stood up.

"Fine..." Lucas walked up to the door and started to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "Oh... Jamie said, hi... and he loves you. I'll just tell him what you told me, okay? I'm sure Haley will be just fine with that." Lucas slammed the door on his way out. Brooke wanted to cry just then, but she couldn't. She also wanted to go back to sleep but felt like she couldn't. There were two things that she had been used to doing lately: Sleeping and crying. And at that moment she couldn't do either. She stared at the ceiling and exhaled deeply. Her cellphone rang. She checked the caller ID which simply said '...'. It was Fletcher. She decided on whether or not she should pick it up, but she did.

"Hey..." She said with a shaky voice.

"I've been calling you forever, why weren't you picking up?"

"I was asleep."

"...At three in the afternoon? What the hell, Brooke? I thought you were gunna quit drinking!"

"And I thought you were gunna quit the drugs and prostitutes, but here we are."

"You're not funny, Brooke. Are you gunna quit drinking?"

"Are you gunna come home? You said you'd be here in the morning."

"Yeah... yeah, I'll be home tonight."

"Are you? Because today's our two year anniversary, Fletcher, and I had plans for tonight."

"Babe, relax. I'll be there."

"For your sake, you better hope you are..." Her voice trailed off. "I miss you, Fletcher."

"I miss you too, baby girl." She knew that was a lie. But she had never been more honest in her life when she told him that. They were both quiet.

"Are we gunna talk about... you know...?" She asked with fear in her voice, knowing he was about to yell at her.

"Brooke... we talked about this a million times, okay... I _don't _want kids. We're _not gunna _have kids. If you wanna have one, great, but it sure as hell isn't gunna be my kid, and I'm not raising any babies! Get used to it, okay? Now, that's the last time we're talking about it!"

"...Why can't you ever just consider it?" She asked enraged.

"Because." Was all he said.

"What if I _was _pregnant with your baby... would you leave me because of that?"

"No... because that's not gunna happen. You're crazy if you think I wouldn't make you get an abortion."

"...You can't _make_ me get an abortion."

"Then lets not let it get that far. Alright, look, we're done talking about that. We're not having a baby, end of story..." His voice was cold and brittle when he said that. "I gotta go Brooke."

"But-" He already hung up. Brooke threw her phone against the wall, madder than she's been in a long time. She found it was easier for her to cry again. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall, but quickly wiped them away when her doorbell rang. "Go away, Luke!" She yelled.

"No, I-it's Haley." She said from the other end of the door.

"What do you want, Haley?" She said not answering the door.

"I wanna talk..."

"I don't wanna talk."

"Okay, then let me take you somewhere."

"I don't wanna go anywhere."

"You'd get to see Jamie..." Haley said waiting for an answer. It was silent for a moment.

"I'll be out in five minutes." Brooke said, getting up off the couch. Brooke went into her bedroom to get herself together. Haley waited outside of Brooke's house. Haley spotted a box at the end of Brooke's driveway. She walked over there, and dug through the things inside. Haley was startled to find dozens of sketches that had been crumpled up and thrown into the bottom of the box. Also in the box were tons of clothes that Brooke had left sitting out in the rain. The sketches and clothing were part of her new line that never got started. They were in a box marked 'Garbage'. Haley frowned and her heart broke for Brooke. Haley picked up the box and threw it in the trunk of her car. She looked back at the house and waited for Brooke.

"We're gunna help you, Brooke Davis... whether you like it or not." Haley smiled when Brooke walked outside because she had looked slightly happier than they had seen her in a long time.

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><p><em><strong>That's the end of chapter two, let me know what you think. ;D<strong>_


	3. How Can You Be Sure?

**_A friend and I had a long talk the other night about people that go through depression. You know, like Haley in season 7 or like Brooke in this story. And we talked about why a person that goes through something as deep as that goes out of their way to deny help from people. They become adamant about the fact that they want to be independent. They make themselves believe that they're strong enough to get through it on their own; and they're not. And when you take a person like Brooke Davis- a fiercely independent individual- and put them in a situation like this, they are going to try their hardest to deny help. Of course, not many people have a friend like Haley James Scott, either. I think this is a pivitol moment in the story for a number of reasons. Those of you that are Baley fans, you understand the connection that these two have, and I think it's incredible. The things that these two can accomplish are endless. Haley is the only one in this story that never really gives up on Brooke. I've decided to pick a song that relates to the chapter in some way. For this specific chapter, the song "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts really relates to the way Haley feels about Brooke while she's going through all of this. I'd recommend a listen if you haven't heard it before. :)_**

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><p>Haley and Brooke walked down the halls of Tree Hill high. The two of them were silent, and the only sounds being made were the clacking of Haley's heels. It was a Saturday, so no kids were at the school. Brooke walked the halls with her head hanging. She wasn't dressed up like the old Brooke Davis used to do. The old Brooke Davis wouldn't dream of leaving the house without putting on makeup, doing her hair, and making sure her teeth were as white as ever. But, she's not the old Brooke Davis. This Brooke Davis wore her hair up and was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. She could care less what she looked like. That was the least of her problems. But, she was still happy that she was getting to see Jamie. Even though she didn't look it, Jamie was the one person in her life that could make her happy without trying. Jamie was only four, he didn't try to instigate her or constantly ask if she was okay. He was always just there for her; he would listen, and he would respond back... like a real friend. Haley stopped at the door of her classroom and turned to Brooke.<p>

"Wait a second, okay?" She said putting her hand on the doorknob. Brooke nodded. Haley went inside and closed the door behind her. Skills was sitting at her desk watching Jamie color. Jamie was sitting in a desk with two boxes of crayons, drawing all kinds of pictures.

"Welcome back, Momma." Jamie said barely looking up from what he was doing. Skills stood up and hugged Haley.

"Hey, Skills. Thanks for watching Jamie for me."

"Oh, it's no problem. Kid keeps himself busy..." He changed the subject. "How's Brooke?"

"Still sad... and angry. She just- she needs a little time."

"I hate to say it Haley, but she's been given a lot of time. I don't know what more she's gunna do with that."

"Yeah, well, I really just don't have the heart to give up on her, you know? She needs someone to be there for her."

"You gettin' her any help?"

"She doesn't want to see a specialist."

"She needs to. That girl's going off the rails, Haley."

"I know but... she's not gunna get help, Skills. So _we _have to do something for her, no matter how hard she pushes us away. Somewhere inside that sad girl is the Brooke Davis we know and love..."

"Yeah, you're right about that... Listen, I'm gunna leave you to it, alright? You take care of her."

"I will, Skills... thanks." Skills nodded and left the classroom. He noticed Brooke standing outside the door, but didn't say anything to her. Brooke peered inside and saw Jamie sitting at a desk.

"Hey, little man." She smiled, half-heartedly.

"Aunt Brooke!" Jamie squealed. He jumped out of his seat and ran up to Brooke to hug her. "Do you wanna come color with me?" He asked excitedly.

"...I would love to, Jame." Brooke walked with Jamie back to his desk and started to color with him. Meanwhile, Haley sat at her desk watching the scenario. "So what's going on with you, buddy?"

"Well, I raced in a soap opera derby."

"A 'soap opera derby'?" She chuckled.

"Well, kinda. I was gunna race, but I was too scared."

"Aw, I'm sorry I wasn't there, little buddy."

"It's okay... My daddy wasn't there either." Brooke's heart broke for Jamie. She took a black crayon and started writing something on a piece of paper. She wrote on the paper and flipped it over. "Momma, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Alright, but use the one at the end of the hall, okay?" Jamie nodded and ran out of the clasroom.

"That kid's gunna get kidnapped if you leave him alone like that." Brooke said leaning back in the chair.

"Yeah, like _that's _gunna happen." Haley scoffed. Haley stopped doing work and looked at Brooke. "How are you doing, Brooke?"

"...There's good days and bad days." Brooke said actually responding to Haley. Haley was the only one that refused to give up on Brooke. Anyone else would try to help and give up five minutes later only to help her again the next day with the same procedure. Brooke could talk to Haley about it now and again. Haley's the only one that actually knew the situation. Well, most of the situation. There were some things that Brooke couldn't even tell Haley because she couldn't admit it to herself.

"You having a bad day?"

"They're mostly bad days, Hales."

"Well, what can we do to fix that?"

"Well, I like to sleep all day and throw myself into a drunken stupor." Brooke said sarcastically.

"Okay, I should have expected that."

"How do _you _think this can be fixed Haley?"

"I think you need to talk to Fletcher... He should be helping you out the most."

"No... no, I don't wanna talk to Fletcher."

"Why not?"

"Because... he always makes me feel bad, Hales."

"How so?"

"... It's just... who he is, Haley. He likes to make people feel bad when they have a problem."

"Well, that's not right... Brooke, I feel like you're pushing Fletcher away."

"I'm not pushing him away." Brooke's mind went back to five years ago. During Haley's wedding reception when she had that big fight with Lucas.

_"Look, Brooke... I need you to listen to me. Okay, I understand that you didn't know about the kiss and I'm sorry for springing it on you but, I meant what I said... It didn't mean anything."_

_"A kiss always means something."_

_"Okay, well, maybe you're right but, it wasn't a romantic moment. And you would know that if-"_

_"If what- I was there? As you so sweetly pointed out at the party; the party that I threw for you, I wasn't there, was I?"_

_"Is it impossible for you to forgive me? I forgave you."_

_"For what?"_

_"For sleeping with Chris Keller."_

_"And you know what, Lucas, I loved you for that. You had such... grace in that moment that I fell in love with you all over again, and I can't believe that you would use it now as a bargaining chip."_

_"No, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I just... I need you to trust me and believe me when I tell you that my heart is with you. But, part of me feels like ever since we got back together you've just been waiting... waiting to push me away."_

_"Oh, great... you kiss Peyton, AGAIN, and I'M pushing YOU away!" [...]_

_"I love you, Brooke. I don't know how else to say it."_

_"How about how you show it? I am not pushing you away, Lucas, I am holding on for dear life, but I need you to need me back! Okay, why wouldn't you tell me about the kiss, and why didn't you call me while you were away, and why won't you ever just let me all the way in?"[...]_

_"Please don't be mad, Brooke."_

_"I'm not mad, Lucas... I'm not mad."_

Brooke's mind was stuck in that flashback. Haley snapped a few times to get her attention. "Hey, Brooke!" Brooke snapped back into focus. "Where's your head, girly?"

"...Lucas..." She didn't know it, but she was going to regret saying that.

"What about Lucas?"

"... He came over this morning, and I... completely lost it on him."

"Yeah, Peyton said you weren't in the best mood either."

"I know... I just get so mad at people lately."

"I get that..."

"...Haley, can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, anything."

"... Look, I know this is wrong, and I feel bad for even thinking it but... I think I still have feelings for Lucas."

"Brooke-"

"No, no, I... I know it's wrong. I know I'm with Fletcher and I know Lucas is with Lindsey and I know Peyton is in love with Lucas, but-"

"Brooke!...You don't love him... I can tell you that right now."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because, Brooke... right now you're in need of someone to love, and Lucas is that someone because of your history."

"...How do you know it's not real feelings?"

"...I don't... but you just... you can't still love him, Brooke... you can't."

"... Nevermind, forget I brought it up."

"No, Brooke... we're just trying to help you. Okay, we love you, Brooke, more than you think."

"You know, you may think you're helping, but you're really not doing anything for me."

"We're trying, Brooke."

"Not hard enough." She murmured.

"Well, I'm sorry if you feel that way, Brooke, I really am."

"Maybe you are... but I don't think anyone else is."

"That's not true, Brooke. Everyone wants to help you the same." Brooke became furious.

"Haley, they don't even understand the situation I'm in! _You _don't understand it! So stop trying to pretend that you do!" Haley stood up at her desk.

"Then why don't you enlighten me?" Haley said getting a little angry.

"No, you know what, forget it! It doesn't even matter any more. It doesn't matter to me, so it sure as hell shouldn't matter to you or anyone else!" Brooke said storming out of the classroom.

"Brooke!... Brooke!" Brooke just kept on walking. Jamie came back from the bathroom at the other end of the hall.

"Why is aunt Brooke so mad?" He asked standing behind Haley.

"...I-It's nothing buddy... Go back to coloring." She said still fuming at Brooke. Haley walked back into her classroom and sat at her desk.

"Okay..." Jamie walked back to his desk and picked up a crayon. He was about to draw on a piece of paper, but noticed there was writing on the other side. He flipped it over and tried to read it. It was what Brooke had written earlier. He stared at it for a while until he decided he couldn't figure it out. "Momma?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"What's this say?" He said pointing at the paper. Haley got up and walked over to the desk. She picked up the paper and read what it said. She looked up with a strange look on her face before looking back at Jamie. She looked at the paper one more time.

"Jamie, do me a favor... go down to the gym and stay with Uncle Skills until I get back okay?" She didn't wait for Jamie to respond before she bolted out the door. She ran down the hallway and out of the school. She just barely caught Brooke, who was about to get in her car. "Brooke!" She called out to get her attention. Brooke stopped and turned around. Haley approached Brooke and held up the paper that read: 'Help me, please.' Haley knew this was the cry for help that they needed to get through to Brooke. Haley was out of breath and in tears. "I'm gunna help you, Brooke..." She took her friend and hugged her tightly. "I promise..." The two of them remained in an embrace for a long time, both with broken hearts.

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><p><strong><em>That's the end of chapter 3, let me know what you think. ;D<em>**


	4. It Was My Fault Anyway

**_Again, a HUGE turning point in this story. In this chapter, we discover something that no one knows about. Dun, dun, dun! Just kidding. But seriously, this chapter is a little uplifting but also a little dark. I'm warning you now, this chapter includes a lot of dark, dark stuff. If you can't handle that kind of stuff, back out now. I really don't have much to say other than... you are all going to hate me so bad. :'( The song I would pick for this chapter would have to be "Turning Tables" by Adele. Epic song. Go listen... after you read, of course._**

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><p>Brooke sat in the passenger's seat of Haley's car and stared out the window. Jamie was in the backseat watching a movie in the dvd player. Haley, for the most part, kept her eyes on the road, but was constantly looking over at Brooke to see if she was okay. Jamie was wearing headphones, so Haley felt it was okay for the two of them to talk.<p>

"Have you eaten today, Brooke?" Haley asked barely looking at Brooke.

"...No." She answered a little ashamed of that fact.

"When did you eat last?" She asked looking at Brooke a little more.

" I don't know... A couple days ago?" She whispered. Haley turned her full attention to Brooke when she hit a red light.

"Brooke... have you been taking care of yourself at all?"

"Haley, I don't even remember what day it is... Okay, that's how badly I need help." She said choking on her words.

"Well... that's why I'm here." Haley said tearing up as well. Haley proceeded on driving until they got to her house. When she pulled into the driveway, Jamie unbuckled his seat belt and ran into the house. "Jamie, sweeite, go upstairs for a few minutes, okay?" Jamie didn't reply but did as he was asked. Haley helped Brooke out of the car, even though Brooke didn't really need it. Haley walked into the house with Brooke right behind her. Haley walked up to the screen door that led to the backyard. "You want help, right?" Brooke nodded. "Okay... well, I know someone who can help you." Haley opened the door and walked outside with Brooke. Brooke stared at the harsh sunlight that was shining brightly off the reflection of the pool. Brooke saw Nathan sitting by the pool in his wheelchair. Brooke turned back to Haley.

"Hales..."

"Brooke, you don't want to see a specialist, and you won't let us help you... Maybe if you talked to someone who understood you-"

"He doesn't."

"He does, Brooke... You and Nathan grew up with the same blueprint... Both of your parents put you through tough times when you were younger... you guys walked the same roads, and you ended up with the same dead end."

"So you're saying being crippled is just like what I'm going through?" She said sarcastically.

"Yes." Haley sighed. "Brooke... Nathan is _physically _disabled... and you're _emotionally _disabled. It might as well be the same thing... I'm not doing this to help Nathan, I'm doing it to help both of you. You need to deal with this and talk about this with someone who understands."

"Nathan's pretty tough... he kinda deals with things on his own."

"Sounds a lot like you. So maybe your situation isn't so rare after all. Honey, I know you're hurting right now, but sometimes it takes a bit of the pain of the way to do something nice for someone else. I know you care for him, Brooke... Maybe he's not as independent as you think. You both need this... Go talk to him." Brooke looked at Haley for a moment and decided to give in.

"Fine, but Nathan's probably gunna end up slashing my wrists, while I roll him into the pool." Brooke joked in horribly bad taste. She walked up to Nathan, but turned back around to Haley who was still there watching. She sat down next to Nathan who knew she was there, but didn't look at her. "Hey, Nate..."

"Haley send you to talk to me?"

"Yeah... so maybe if we just pretend we're talking, she'll believe we made a breakthrough." She joked.

"Fine with me." They both sat there for a moment not saying a word. Brooke put her hair behind her ear and hung her head. Nathan looked over at Brooke and his eyes grew with concern. He reached over and moved her hair out of her face. He looked at the corner of her eye and saw a giant bruise there. Brooke was busted. She looked down in embarrasment. "He hits you, Brooke?" Brooke didn't respond. "Brooke?" Brooke still didn't look up. She sniffled a few times, then nodded her head.

"It was my fault anyway." She said raising her head.

"No, Brooke, don't make yourself the victim...You are not responsible for his behavoir... How long has this been going on?" He asked, changing his demeanor.

"...A little over a year." She cried.

"Brooke..." He said in disbelief. "Does anyone know about this?"

"... No." She cried a little harder. "I know, I know... I'm stupid..."

"No... I'd say you're just making a stupid _decision_..." Nathan sighed. He knew what he needed to say to help Brooke. "Look at what you're putting into a relationship. Then look at what your partner puts in. Is it equal? Is it even _close_ to being equal? If it's not, you need to evaluate your relationship and decide whether or not it's worth it. Why are you staying faithful to a man who's cheating on you? Why are you supporting a man, _and yourself _which is _already_ hard, when he's not helping you at _all_? Why is he taking your car and dropping you off at work, just to go joyriding? Sounds more like a _boy _than a _boyfriend_. And it sounds like you're being _used _more than you're being _loved_. Is that what you want? You may love him, but it's obviously not mutual if he's cheating on you or beating you. And all the love in the world isn't an excuse to be stupid. You have to respect _yourself _before you can respect a man, _or _expect _him _to respect you. And if he can walk all over you without any consequences, why would he respect you? Now, I am by _no means_ suggesting you not to be a good _woman_. What I _am _suggesting is to make sure the guy is _worth _it first. If he's a good man, be a great woman. If he's a lousy man, you shouldn't be his woman at all. A lot of women work _so _hard to please a man who barely gives them any attention or appreciation. They figure that if they just do enough, or love him enough, he'll begin to see what he has and start to change into a better person. He _won't_. One thing you have to realize: _You can't change a man._. So don't try. And don't allow him to play with your emotions just to get what he wants, either. It's called manipulation. And why would a man who truly loves you need, or even _want _to manipulate you? The longer you accept this bad behavior, the harder it'll be to realize that you _shouldn't_. And next thing you know, you'll be the girl crying that you 'put up with it for three years' and regret every second of it. The hard part is, how to stop this behavior. You're in love, you've been together for a while, and you're used to the relationship, so you deal. That's not the way to go. Nothing will change, if _you _don't change. But again, _how_? That's the question. Well, first off, it requires determination, and inner strength. How sick _are _you of this no good man and your shitty relationship? Are you sick enough to put a stop to it, by any means necessary? If you're not, I can't help you." Brooke was shocked by his response.

"You don't sound very broken to me, Nate."

"Just because I'm going through this doesn't mean I don't understand the foundation of a good relationship. Your problems can be fixed, Brooke... my problem may never go away."

"...Thanks Nathan... I don't know if you really fixed anything, but I know you changed my perspective on this... I wish I could help you..."

"I'm not sure anyone can, Brooke. My situation just needs time, you know? Maybe a little bit of self-love..."

"Yeah... it's getting harder and harder for me to love myself, so I get it."

"You go home an think about that, Brooke."

"Yeah... I will." Brooke stood to hug Nathan and kissed him on the cheek. "I hope things get better for you, Nate." She smiled as best she could and walked back toward Haley who was amazed at what she just saw. Brooke walked past Haley with tears in her eyes. "Take me home." She whispered. Haley followed her to the car and drove her home. By the time they got to Brooke's place, the sun was setting.

"You okay?"

"... Maybe." Brooke smiled. 'Maybe' was a step up from 'I don't know', and Haley knew it. Brooke hugged Haley and stepped out of the car. She mouthed the words 'Thank you' as Haley drove away. Brooke stepped inside and looked around her house. It was a mess. She breathed out deeply and took the next ten minutes to clean up the house. Twenty minutes after that, Brooke had pulled herself together. She had her hair in a french twist and was wearing a simple, yet elegant, black dress. (Clothes Over Bros, of course) She lit a candle and set it on the dining room table and sat there waiting for Fletcher. She sat there, waiting for over two hours. It was almost ten by the time Brooke blew out the candle and changed to go to bed. She lied down to try and sleep alone in her bed. She was upset, but she didn't cry. She didn't cry because deep inside of her, she expected him to do something like this. She fell asleep, but woke up about four hours later when her front door slammed shut. She jerked upward in bed, and left the room to see who it was. She stared at Fletcher, who was in the living room taking off his coat.

"What the hell are you doing up?" He asked looking at Brooke who was barely clothed. She didn't answer him.

"I was waiting for you... You said you would be here tonight for our dinner. I told you we had plans!"

"No, you said, _you_ had plans."

"Don't twist my words around, Fletcher, you know damn well what I meant!" She yelled.

"Is it necessary for you to yell?"

"Yes, it is necessary! What is wrong with you?"

"Me? And what exactly is it that I did wrong?"

"You did everything wrong! You leave me alone for weeks, telling me you're on a business trip! Last I checked, going on a business trip does not include sleeping with horny college girls!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know you're not working Fletcher! They mailed your walking papers here _months_ ago! Why the hell did you lie to me?"

"I'm not the guilty one here, Brooke! It's your fault we don't have any money, because your foolish pride 'made you' give up your wealth to your bitch of a mom!"

"You leave her out of this!"

"Or what?... You're gunna hit me?" He instigated. This pushed Brooke too far, and she did just as he said. She slapped him clear across his face. He barely reacted. "I'm gunna give you... three seconds... to apologize." Brooke stared at him as he counted down. When he reached '3', she spit in his face.

"Fuck you." She whispered. Fletcher chuckled. Suddenly, his eyes grew red, and he threw Brooke against the wall. He banged her head against the drywall a few times before dragging her into the bedroom. He lifted her by the elbows and tossed her onto the bed. She struggled to get away, but he kept pushing her down. He grabbed her wrists and twisted as hard as he could. She screamed as loud as she could and tried to kick him, but he punched her in the face, making her stop both. He let go of one of her wrists and started undoing his pants. Brooke groaned in terror. She tried to scream again, but he held his hand to her throat. He held his hand there until everything went black, and Brooke lost every chance she had at getting help.

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><p><strong><em>That's the end of chapter four, let me know what you think. ;D<em>**


	5. I'm Sorry, Brooke

_**This chapter is a little less dialogue. It's more emotion and explanation than anything else. This is where we finally discover why Brooke is feeling the way she is. If I were to pick a song for this chapter, it would be "Breathe Tonight" by David Cook. Listen if you don't know it. The song fits more toward Lucas and how he feels about Brooke's situation. If you want real tears in your eyes, I'd recommend playing the song while you read the ending. This is a high point in the story, and things will start to get better soon, I promise. We see a VERY different side of Brooke Davis in this chapter, and it might not be one that you want to see. If you don't have the heart for it, skip this chapter. It's pretty emotional. I know it was for me... Anyway, here's chapter 5, and PLEASE review!**_

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><p>Haley's voice eminated from the answering machine in Brooke's bedroom. "Hey Brooke? I-I wanted to talk to you... I haven't heard from you in days. I just... I wanted to make sure you were okay. Uh... if you can call me back and let me know, that'd be great. I'm here to talk... when you're ready. And I love you Brooke... call me when you can, okay? Bye." Once Haley's voice was gone, the only sounds that were heard were the sounds of water running from the bathroom, and the sound of Brooke's sobs that were much louder than the rushing sound of water. Brooke's sobs were more like wails. She had cried like that, nonstop for days. And every few hours she would find herself in the bathroom trying to get clean. She felt dirty after what Fletcher did to her. But Fletcher could care less. He left after he got what he wanted. She hadn't heard from him in days. She didn't report it to the police, she didn't tell Haley... she couldn't even tell herself. She was so ashamed at what had happened to her that she felt she couldn't tell anyone what had happened. It had been almost a week that she wasn't eating, and she hasn't had a conversation with anyone in three or four days. She felt more alone than she had ever been. She kept thinking about the worst moments in all of her relationships, and none of them seemed to compare.<p>

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><p><em>"We are finished."<em>

_"Brooke, let me explain."_

_"No! I cannot believe you would be such a hateful scumbag as to write dyke anywhere, LET ALONE ON MY BEST FRIEND'S LOCKER!"_

_"Brooke, wait-"_

_"I am so glad I'm leaving! I had no idea I was the grand wizard's next door neighbor! And you had me actually starting to think you were a decent guy."_

_"I was trying to protect my sister, Brooke! Look, I did it the night at the dance, when Peyton and I were arguing and you dumped me! I wasn't thinking!"_

_"Well, what a surprise!'_

_"I was in a dark place and I took it out on Peyton, I'm sorry!"_

_"Yeah, you're right, you are sorry. So why don't you crawl back into your dark little place and die there?"_

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><p><em>"Sorry I couldn't talk earlier, I was just... thinking about what happened."<em>

_"It's okay...Sorry my past keeps coming back to haunt us. I have a lot of skeletons in my closet, and apparently half of them are naked..."_

_"I've been able to accept a lot of your history, Brooke... but, you know mine too. You know that my best friend slept with my girlfriend, just like you slept with Peyton's boyfriend."_

_"No, it wasn't like that. They broke up and-"_

_"I know prom's important to you, so we can still go but... after that we can't be together."_

_"... Then it should just be over now, 'cause... I don't wanna go to prom with someone who doesn't want to be with me."_

_"You said no more surprises... I'm sorry."_

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><p><em>"I was trying to call you."<em>

_"You mean when you weren't hanging out with Peyton?"_

_"Come on, Brooke. You never called me back."_

_"Now you know how I feel!... Listen, I know it's been difficult for you lately; losing Keith and your heart condition and giving up basketball... I feel like... I've been keeping you close to me to try to protect you from those things... Like I'm hanging on to the two of us for you... but not for me."_

_"I'm sorry I kissed Peyton. I should've told you."_

_"It's not about that, Luke... It's not... I thought that it was, but this is not about her... this is about me... I love you Lucas... and I probably always will. But we go days without having a meaningful conversation. And I used to miss you so much when that happened. But it never seemed like you missed me... And I guess because of it, I stopped missing you. I mean, look at today... [...] It shouldn't be like this, Luke."_

_"Brooke..."_

_"I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore."_

_"Brooke... I'm sorry."_

_"... Yeah, me too."_

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><p>Now, while all of her past relationships broke her heart so easily... none of them could ever beat what had happened to her with Fletcher. The pain she felt all throughout her body and her heart. And she felt as if only one could really be fixed. The thing that made those relationships easier was the fact that they all said they were sorry. Whether they meant it or not, it was said. And there's always some truth when someone apologizes. But that night, Brooke was hoping with all of her heart that he would apologize to her. Because, for Brooke, it would give her the excuse to go back to him when she needed someone. But, Fletcher wasn't sorry. He didn't say it and he didn't mean it. Brooke lied down on her bed and closed her eyes. She tried to figure out how she let it get this far. The Brooke Davis she used to be would never let someone take advantage of her like this. She knew she was worth so much more, and she made it to where she felt she was worth nothing. She wanted to leave him the first time he hit her, but she had her heart broken so badly before that she needed the excuse to love someone and to be able to forgive someone. She stayed with Fletcher because her heart needed mending... her heart needed mending because she was so hurt after leaving Lucas. 'Lucas is the reason I feel this way', she thought. But she instantly shrugged off that conclusion. She still loved Lucas, so she wouldn't ever want to think something like that about him. She felt foolish for staying with Fletcher, and for not listening to Nathan, and for still loving Lucas. She was too tired to think about that anymore. She closed her eyes and drifted off. A few minutes later, someone was pounding at her door. She got up, rubbed her eyes, and went to open the door. She twisted the doorknob, and Lucas pushed himself inside.<p>

"Where is that bastard?" Lucas asked enraged.

"Who?"

"Fletcher... Where is he?"

"I... I don't know."

"Brooke, I swear to God, if you're hiding him-"

"I'm not Lucas, I swear. I haven't seen him in days." Lucas stormed around the house looking for Fletcher anyway. "Lucas, he's not here."

"He better hope he's not..." He looked at Brooke who still had a bruise on her face. "So it's true..."

"What?"

"He hits you?" Brooke didn't answer and that was enough for Lucas. "My God, Brooke, you _let_ _him_ hit you? What the hell is wrong with you?" He yelled.

"I didn't do anything!" She admitted.

"You-you let him take advantage of you, Brooke! So, you're right, you _didn't_ do anything!"

"H-how do you know about this?"

"I should've found out from you!... I heard it from Peyton... Peyton heard it from Haley, and Haley heard it from Nathan... you told _Nathan_?"

"Lucas-"

"Why didn't you say something?" Lucas's constant yelling was making Brooke grow increasingly upset.

"It doesn't matter, Luke..."

"It does matter, Brooke!"

"...Lucas, you need to go."

"No, I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers!" Brooke ignored Lucas and started searching through her cupboards. She grabbed a bottle of Phidian's burbon and started to open the bottle. Lucas, quickly, snatched the bottle and pulled it away from Brooke."

"Dammit, Luke, give it to me!" She said starting to get really ticked off.

"No Brooke... you need control, and someone needs to give it to you."

"Lucas... give it to me." She said with serious rage in her voice. Lucas didn't say anything. Brooke tried to take the bottle from Lucas, but he slammed it against the counter. The whole bottle shattered. Brooke was furious. She turned back around to her cupboard and went to grab another bottle, but Lucas stepped in and knocked all of the bottles of liquor to the ground. Every single last one shattered.

"You gotta stop, Brooke... Someone needs to help you." He said with calm in his voice.

"And this is your idea of _help_?" She stated, incredulously. Brooke stormed off into her bedroom and rummaged through her drawers. She pulled out a bottle of pills and walked out of the room. Lucas followed after her and tried to take the pills from her. They both struggled for a minute, but Lucas won the fight.

"Lucas... stop!" She yelled. Lucas took the pills into the bathroom, poured all of them into the toilet, and pushed down on the lever. Brooke lost control. "LUCAS! WHAT'D YOU DO?" She hurried to grab as many pills as she could before they were gone. Brooke kept crying and screaming at Lucas. She stood up and hit him a few times in the chest. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

"... I was trying to help..." Lucas said, feeling bad that he made her spiral out of control.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP, LUCAS! YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" She was still completely livid and was crying her eyes out. Lucas was shocked to see her this way. He hadn't seen anyone act like this, and Brooke Davis was the last one he pictured in this situation. Lucas gave in.

"Fine... Fine, Brooke... go ahead... crawl into your hole. And do what you always do: Dig it deeper... Just know that I'm not gunna cry for you when it turns out to be your grave." Lucas stormed out of the house, leaving Brooke broken and in tears. She fell to the ground and started slamming her fists on the ground. She remained on the ground crying for a good ten minutes before getting back up. She stood up, quickly, and went back to looking through her drawers. Inside, she found another bottle of pills. She took them into the bathroom with her and stared at herself in the mirror. She poured the pills into the palm of her hand and counted. There were fourteen pills. She stared at the pills for a long time before looking at herself again. She looked at herself in the mirror and did something remarkable. She apologized. She apologized to herself for letting people do the things they did to her. She left them take advantage of her, and she apologized for ever having let it get that far.

"I am so sorry, Brooke." She said, closing her eyes. She looked at the pills once more before popping them all in her mouth. She took a big gulp of water before swallowing all of the pills at once. She looked at the mirror once more. "I'm sorry, Brooke." She said, again. Suddenly, Brooke collapsed to the ground. She felt all the air leave her lungs and she clutched onto her chest. She laid there, motionless, and all alone.

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><p><strong><em>That's the end of chapter 5, let me know what you think. ;D<em>**


	6. People Always Leave

_**Hi guys. So sorry for the late update. I've had some stuff going on. I just came back from my trip to Dublin. For those of you that live there or have been there, GORGEOUS city. I love it and I can't wait to go back. Right after I left the airport I had to drive to Orlando with my boyfriend to go to the House Of Blues concert, featuring Kate Voegele. (YES!) It was a great concert. And regardless of my 192+ hours of travel and EXTREME jet-lag, I felt I absolutely HAD to finish this chapter and post it. This is one of my favorite non-Brulian chapters by far. Stagediva23, you mentioned how Brooke being happy in the next chapter would be unrealistic, but I mentioned in the second chapter that from the end of this chapter to the beginning of the next, I will be skipping ahead six months. You'll see why when you read the end. Also, this story might take a while to update after each chapter because I need to be taking it easy for a while. :] I found out before I got back from my trip that I am a mommy-to-be. YAY! Yes, I am super excited for it, but I won't hesitate to sit down and write whenever I can. I want to thank you all again for reading my story and reviewing. It means the world to me, and I will continue to make you all happy by continuing to write this story. Oh, one last thing, my wonderful friend GhostWhispererJimel has offered to make a "trailer" for my fanfic. Check up on her YouTube channel to see it when it's done. I promise, you'll love it. :] Oh, I'm so thoughtless. The song that relates to this chapter is probably going to have to be "Ghost" By eastmountainsouth. If you haven't been listening to the songs I've been mentioning, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend listening to this song. It's one of the most beautiful and haunting songs I've ever heard. It's about how Brooke is "A ghost that lives and breathes". She doesn't know who she is anymore, and she feels brutally numb. This song is just SO beautiful, and I will love it forever. This is probably the most heartbreaking song I will pick for a chapter. Sorry for the REALLY long opening. :] Enjoy chapter 6!**_

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><p>Lucas was sitting on the ground in the waiting room, covering his face. He was a wreck. So many things were running through his head at the time. He couldn't believe he said those things to Brooke. He couldn't understand why she would want to hurt herself the way she did, and he felt responsible for that. He was constantly looking up from his bouts of sobbing to check the time. Every time he checked another minute would pass by, but to him it felt like much longer. Lindsey came walking down the hallway into the waiting room. She saw Lucas on the ground and her heart broke for him. She kneeled down and rustled her fingers through his hair.<p>

"Luke... she's gunna be fine." She said in a caring whisper.

"I-I don't think so." She said between sobs.

"Well... the Brooke Davis I know is a fighter."

"...You only know the Brooke Davis from the book." He wiped the tears away from his eyes. "The girl... lying in that room... is not the same Brooke Davis, Lindsey."

"Maybe... Luke, you know Brooke more than anyone else... do you really think she's not gunna be able to pull through?"

"I don't know." He cried. Lindsey tried to think of something else to say to make him feel better. Haley came running down the hallway.

"Lucas!" She called out when she saw her friend sitting on the floor crying his eyes out. "Luke, i-is she okay?" She asked him while wiping her tears away.

"I'm gunna go get us some coffee, okay?" Lindsey said so she could leave the two of them alone. Lucas was reluctant to answer Haley's question.

"I don't know."

"Well, what happened?" She asked, frantically.

"... She overdosed, Hales. And I was there. I was there and I... I said some... horrible things to her."

"Drugs?" Haley asked, not beliveing a word of it.

"Yeah... She was a mess when I came over and I...I just tried to help her. She had some pills, but I threw 'em out, I-I didn't know she had more. I would've gotten rid of it. I should've stayed, I should've-I should've done... something."

"Luke..." Haley sat on the floor with Lucas. "There was nothing else you could've done... there's nothing any of us could've done to help her."

"Did you call Peyton?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I had to leave a message. Hey..." Haley got down on the floor with Lucas and looked at him deeply in the eyes. "Are _you_ okay?"

"No... I... drove her to this, Haley."

"Luke, stop it."

"No! I... you didn't hear what I said to her."

"It... It couldn't have been that bad, Luke."

"...I told her that I wouldn't care if she died... that I wouldn't cry for her and that I wouldn't miss her." Lucas cried a little more. "I did this to her."

"Lucas Eugene Scott... stop saying that... you didn't do anything to cause this, okay? None of us did. We all tried to help her and... it just wasn't enough."

"Yeah, you're right..."

"Lucas!" He heard again but this time, the voice came from Peyton. Peyton was running down the hall in tears. "Oh, Haley! I-I got your message, I'm so sorry I didn't call earlier. How-how is she?"

"Uh, we don't-we don't know yet." Haley and Peyton shared this feeling of anxiety and discomfort, while Lucas, still sitting on the ground, felt nothing but numb. He drowned out all the sounds and noises around him and looked up at the clock again. He, slowly got up, and started walking away without saying a word. "Luke?... Lucas?" Haley asked, trying to get him to turn around. He didn't listen. He kept walking all the way into the men's bathroom of the hospital. He sauntered over to the sink and let the water run- cold and fast. He splashed his face a few times and looked at himself in the mirror.

_"__She was fiercely independent. Brooke Davis. Brilliant, and beautiful, and brave. In 2 years she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday. And I'm not sure she even knows it." _The words from his book that he had written about his friend and ex-lover seemed to be a lie now. He couldn't believe the person she had become. He was hoping there was something they could actually do to help her. There was only one other thing they could do, and none of them wanted that for Brooke. Lucas closed his eyes and splashed the water on his face again. He was startled when he heard banging on the door. Haley was pounding on the other end.

"Lucas, she's awake!" She yelled, wating for him to open the door. He opened the door and bolted down the hallway to the room Brooke was admitted to.

"The doctor said we could go see her, but we should go one at a time." Peyton said when Lucas reached the door.

"Can I go?" Lucas asked hoping for their approval. They both nodded and he entered the room. Brooke fluttered her eyelids open, trying to foucs her vision on Lucas. "Hey..." He whispered while walking over to Brooke. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. Brooke laid there, motionless. He brushed her bangs out of her hair, and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Hey, pretty girl." He said, quietly. He felt no regret saying that to Brooke, even though they weren't together anymore. "You doing okay?" He asked, holding her hand. She didn't answer. "I'm sorry, Brooke... I'm really sorry."

"No... don't be... sorry, Lucas. _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm... stupid." She said, in a painful murmur.

"No, Brooke, you're not stupid."

"Yes, I am." She groaned.

"Okay... why do you say that?"

"Because..." She cried. "I'm stupid for staying with Fletcher, and I'm stupid for drinking, and for hurting myself and... for loving you."

"Brooke-"

"I love you, Lucas. I-I don't know why we had to be apart as long as we were, and I'm sorry." She cried.

"Brooke... I'm with Lindsey now."

"I know!" She cried. "That's why I'm so stupid..." Lucas felt so bad. He didn't know if there was anything else he could say to her.

"I-I'm gunna bring Peyton in, okay?" Brooke just nodded. Lucas, slowly left the room and let Peyton slide in.

"Hey, Brooke... hey... You okay?" She said, while going to sit in the chair.

"I hope so..." Brooke cried.

"Hey... none of us are judging you, okay? We love you so much, Brooke and we just wanna help you the best we can."

"I know..." She whispered. "C-can I talk to Haley for a minute?" She asked, her voice straining.

"Yeah... yeah, sure, Brooke." Peyton left the room and a few seconds later, Haley had stepped in. Haley ran right up to the bed and lied down with Brooke. Haley hugged Brooke tightly and cried.

"Ooh... I love you Brooke. I love you, I love you, I love you. I've said it a million times, and I'll say it a million more times as long as you never do anything like this again, okay?" Haley cried. Brooke chuckled to humor Haley.

"He raped me, Haley." She blurted out.

"Wh... what?" She asked, hoping Brooke didn't mean what she think she meant.

"Fletcher came home the other day and he..." Brooke choked on her words. Haley hugged Brooke tighter.

"You... you didn't deserve that, Brooke. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You are a good person, and you didn't deserve that." Haley cried, not trying to make Brooke feel better, but herself.

"No, I did." Brooke cried.

"Brooke-"

"No Haley... I'm tired of denying this... The person I've become is not the person I want to be. And it shouldn't be the person that you'd risk everything for, Haley."

"Brooke... I'm risking everything for you because of the person you _were_... the person you _were_ is the person we love, and it's the person you're gunna be again. I promise you. But you need to want help."

"I do..." Brooke whispered.

"Okay... Brooke... There's only one other thing I can do to help you... Okay, but you need to get better first." Haley looked Brooke in the eyes and wiped away her tears. "Hey... I love you, Brooke Davis." Haley smiled and hugged Brooke one more time before leaving the room. Haley stepped outside and looked at Lucas and Peyton. "We're gunna do it, guys... this is the only option." Haley frowned. Lucas and Peyton nodded in agreement.

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><p>Brooke sat in the passenger seat of Haley's car, staring out the window. She fiddled with her hospital band. Lucas and Peyton were in the backseat and kept giving each other these looks. "Hey, Brooke, if you need to sleep, you can. I know you must be exhausted." Haley said, barely looking at Brooke. Brooke didn't answer, but she did close her eyes. Haley had to shake her awake when they had gotten to where they were going. "Brooke, we're here." She whispered. They all got out of the car and stood around Brooke, looking very solemn.<p>

"Where are we?" Brooke asked, rubbing her eyes. No one answered right away. They were too afraid to tell her.

"... This is a rehabilitation clinic." Haley frowned. Brooke was stunned. She couldn't believe they had taken her here. She didn't know what to say to them. One of the male nurses that worked there was waiting outside to take Brooke with him.

"No..." She said, with tears filling up in her eyes. "No..."

"Brooke, I'm sorry..." Haley said, trying not to cry.

"...Lucas?" She said, hoping to convince him to let her leave. He didn't say anything. He frowned and walked back to the car. "P-peyton... please, don't do this. Don't... don't leave... People always leave..." Brooke cried, hoping she would get through to Peyton.

"I'm sorry, Brooke... You need this." She cried, while she walked back to the car with Lucas.

"Haley... Haley _please_!" Brooke stammered.

"Brooke..." She said, starting to cry.

"Haley please, please don't do this! I'll be better, okay? I'll-I'll stop, I promise! I promise!" She yelled with tears running down her cheeks. Haley's heart broke into a million pieces then.

"I'm sorry, Brooke... I wanna help you, but there's nothing I can do for you if you can't help yourself." Haley bawled.

"Haley, I'll be good, I promise! _PLEASE!_" She yelled, grabbing onto Haley's arm. The man behind them grabbed onto Brooke and started walking her into the building. Brooke tried to pull away, but felt she wasn't strong enough. "No! No, please! Please, don't do this! Lucas! Peyton! HALEY!" Brooke cried and screamed and struggled as much as she could, but it wasn't enough. Haley started to bawl. She felt so badly for the way Brooke was hurting. Lucas walked up to Peyton and hugged her.

"We had to do this, Hales."

"I know... Luke, did that not just break your heart?" She cried.

"... My heart's been broken for her for a long time." He frowned. They all got back in the car. Haley clenched her heart tightly when she could still hear Brooke. from inside the building, screaming and crying... begging for help.

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><p><em><strong>That's the end of chapter six, let me know what you think. ;D<strong>_


	7. You Don't Know Me

**_Hello readers and reviewers. Sorry for the very late update. I've had a lot going on recently, not to mention a tiny hospitalization. But I'm so thankful for reviews that this story is one of my highest priorities, next to taking care of some other important things. I'm leaving for Wilmington on the 28th (YAY!) So I can't guarantee that I can update as often. But of course I'll try. Anyway, the song for this chapter is one that I heard a while back and that's "Skyscraper" by the gorgeous, and talented Demi Lovato. This song is so beautiful and inspiring and breathtaking, and when I heard it, the Brooke Davis that I created in this story was the first thing that came to mind. I really hope that you've enjoyed reading so far, and if you have I can promise you that you'll love watching Brooke grow back into the wonderfully crazy person she used to be. Julian will be in chapter 8, I PROMISE. Don't worry, I wanna get to him too. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter. It takes place 6 months after Haley, Lucas and Peyton placed her in a rehabilitation clinic. :] Anyway, I hope you enjoy!_**

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><p>Disregarding the pounding heat and harsh sunlight beaming down, Haley stood outside of the Brightside Rehabilition Clinic, waiting for someone very important. Haley leaned against the side of her car while constantly checking her watch. She could hardly believe that it'd been six months since she had seen her friend. Every day since, she felt glad that Brooke was getting the help she deserved but still felt guilty for letting her condition get as far as it did. She hoped that the time she spent in the clinic would do her some good and that she would never try something so reckless again. Haley stood at attention when the front door opened. A young girl stepped outside, but it wasn't Brooke Davis. A man ran up to the girl and hugged her tight. He kissed her a few times before whispering in her ear. The two walked away together and Haley frowned. At that moment, she felt bad that she had that relationship with someone, even though Brooke didn't. Haley and Nathan had each other and Lucas and Peyton had each other. Haley realized that even though Brooke was still pining over Lucas, they would never get back together because Lucas and Peyton were finally getting married. Haley knew that even with whatever help Brooke had gotten in the past six months, she still needed love and someone who was willing to commit themselves to her other than Haley. When the door had opened again, a new Brooke Penelope Davis had emerged. Her hair had been entirely redone. Instead of her short brown hair that she used to have, she had long black hair with subtle bangs. She wore velvet red heels and a grey dress that covered her arms. She had makeup on and had looked as beautiful as she used to, but something was still off. She still refused to wear a smile on her face. She grinned a little when she saw Haley waiting for her. Haley smiled wide, pleased with the improvement she had seen, and ran up to her friend to hug her. Brooke set her bags down and hugged Haley tightly. She breathed a sigh of relief; glad that she could finally see her friend again.<p>

"I'm so glad to see you, Brooke. Oh, I missed you so much. Nothing was the same without you." Haley said while releasing the hug.

"I know what you mean." Brooke said in a shallow tone. "I missed you too." She said sincerely. Haley picked up Brooke's bags and started loading them into her car.

"So... are you doing okay, Brooke? How are you?"

"I'm sober."

"Yeah, but are you okay?"

"...I'm sober..." Brooke trailed off. Haley understood that Brooke didn't want to talk about it anymore. Haley swept Brooke's bangs out of her eyes and smiled.

"You look beautiful, Brooke." She smiled. Brooke grinned a little and played with her hair a bit.

"It's part of the 'self-loving' process."

"Is it working?"

"I don't know yet..."

"Well... let's go get you home Brooke Davis." Haley smiled wide and opened the door for Brooke. They drove home quietly the whole ride home.

;

Haley unlocked the front door to Brooke's house and flung it open. "Ta-da!" Haley said while being her dorky self. "I house sat every day while you were gone; I hope I did a good job." Brooke walked inside and looked around. She was practically speechless. The last time that she had seen her house was after that horrible night with Fletcher. But that was the last thing she wanted to think about. She grinned and looked at Haley.

"It's perfect." She hugged Haley tightly. "Thank you. Thank you for all of it, Haley."

"It's not a problem. Is there anything I can do for you now that you're home again?"

"Well, it's been a while since I've washed my hair, so-"

"No problem... Brooke Davis, I am at your beck and call." Haley chuckled. Brooke tried to smile back at Haley but she just couldn't do it. Haley grabbed Brooke's arm and walked with her into the bathroom. "If you wanna change into something more comfortable, that's fine; most of your clothes are still in your closet." Brooke nodded and walked into the bedroom to change. Haley stood in the bathroom and walked over to the sink. She opened up the medicine cabinet and looked at the dozens of bottles of pills that were still there. Haley frowned and turned around to see Brooke standing in the doorway. Haley was happy to see her at that moment. Brooke was wearing a short nightgown that showed her legs. The bruises that she used to have all over were completely gone now, and Haley was glad to see that. But she still wasn't glad to see the pills in her bathroom. Brooke sighed and took the pill bottle from Haley. She, quickly, opened the cap and poured the pills into the garbage bin. Brooke grabbed the rest of the bottles and threw them all into the bin as well.

"They should've cleared all this out, a long time ago." Brooke frowned.

"Brooke...?"

"No, don't worry, Haley... I'm... I'd like to think I'm past all that now." Brooke said, looking down. Haley looked down at Brooke's arms and was stunned to find two, long, very cleanly cut scars on her wrists. Haley took Brooke's hands and held up the scars. She looked at Brooke with a tear in her eye.

"Are you?"

"... Well... the beginning of rehab wasn't exactly the best time of my life." She frowned. Haley suddenly felt bad. Brooke had hurt herself because of where Haley put her, and she felt guilty about that.

"Brooke, I'm sorry..."

"No... Stop apologizing Haley... you did what you needed to do... what you _had_ to do... Thank you for helping me." Brooke hugged Haley and sighed, trying not to cry.

;

Haley sat in a chair next to the tub, holding a large cup filled with water. Brooke leaned back in a chair with her long hair in the bath. Haley turned the knob of the tub to the right until the water stopped running. "Sorry, if it's a little cold." She said, warning Brooke before pouring the water on her hair.

"How have _you_ been, Haley?" Brooke asked, ignoring the freezing cold water that she had just made contact with.

"I-I've been fine." Haley lied.

"Really?" Brooke asked, not believing her.

"...Yeah?"

"Come on, Haley... out with it."

Haley sighed. "I've been better... are you sure you want to know, Brooke?"

"Haley, I've been by myself for six months... I think it's about time I heard a little gossip." Haley continued to wash Brooke's hair.

"...Nathan and I were... having some problems earlier, but we've gotten over it recently."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's nothing really. Uh... Nathan hired this... nanny." Haley scoffed. "She, uh, she caused us some problems, but I'd rather not talk about it."

"...Nathan still in his wheelchair?"

"No." Haley smiled. "He's... actually playing basketball again."

"Wow... sounds like quite a comeback."

"Yeah... one of my students was helping him out with that."

"'_Was_'?"

"...Yeah... he-he died a while ago."

"Oh... Oh, I'm sorry Haley."

"It's okay."

"What about Lucas? Did he get Lindsey pregnant yet?" Brooke joked.

"Actually, he got Peyton pregnant."

"What?" Brooke asked, sitting up in shock.

"It's okay, It's okay... they're getting married." Haley laughed.

"What?" She asked, even more shocked.

"Yeah, he and Lindsey didn't work out and... I guess Lucas proposed and Peyton said 'yes'... We just found out she's pregnant." Haley smiled.

"Oh... I'm happy for them, I really am." Brooke said, laying back again. "How's Jamie?" Brooke asked, closing her eyes.

"Oh, he's been just fine. He... bounces back quick... He misses you, you know."

"Yeah, I miss him too... He's five now, right?"

"Yep." Haley smiled. "He was really bummed that you missed his birthday."

"... Sounds like everyone's lives are coming together." Brooke frowned.

"Well, then, you must be next on the list, aren't you?" Haley said, trying to make her feel better. The two remained quiet for a few minutes until Brooke broke the silence.

"You're still looking at my wrists, aren't you?" She said, knowing she was right.

"No."

"Haley."

"I'm sorry, Brooke."

"Don't be sorry..." Brooke sat up. "I can just tell you what happened."

"No, that's fine."

"Haley... I'd rather just come out with it so you're not all filled with questions. I know you want to know what happened." Haley did want to know, but felt it was rude to ask her to tell the story, so she simply said:

"Okay..." Haley sighed. Brooke sat up and wrapped her hair in a towel. "Let me just say it."

;

_Brooke thrashed about, hitting the walls, throwing chairs around, and screaming. A male nurse was standing in the doorway so Brooke couldn't leave. Her 'roommate' was sitting at her bed just a few feet away from Brooke who was throwing her temper tantrum._

_"She's not with me, is she?" She asked, pointing at Brooke._

_"Yes, she is." The male nurse groaned._

_"Great..." She said sarcastically, while spinning her finger around and rolling her eyes._

_"Let me out of here!" Brooke demanded._

_"Can't." The nurse replied._

_"Yes you can! You can't keep me here! Not legally anyway!" She said, getting close to his face._

_"Well, sure I can. Your friend Kaylee says you're a danger to yourself, so legally we can keep you here." He said, crossing his arms._

_"It's Haley." Brooke corrected, angrily. "You can't do this to me. I'm not a danger to myself."_

_"So you didn't try to kill yourself?" He said, raising his eyebrow. "I've seen your type here all the time. Trust me, you'll be gone soon... not soon enough, though."_

_"My type? What the hell does that mean?"_

_"A bitch?" Her roommate butted in._

_"A bitch?" Brooke was offended and approached her. "You'd be a bitch if you were with someone who didn't give a damn about you! You'd be a bitch if you were with someone who liked to kick you around and watch you squirm just for the fun of it! You'd be a bitch if you were with someone who's never home and takes advantage of you in every way possible! And you'd be a bitch if the man that you love is marrying some other woman! So walk a minute in my shoes before you call me a bitch, bitch!" Brooke said, pushing her._

_"You don't know me." The girl responded._

_"And you don't know me." Brooke said with a fire in her eyes. Brooke turned her attention to the nurse. "I want out of here right now." She demanded._

_"I can't let you out, unfortunately." He responded._

_"Fine... well if you're keeping me here, I might as well do something to stay." Brooke turned back to her roommate and slapped her clean across her face. The girl jumped up and started lashing out at Brooke. Brooke fought back. The nurse was hesitant to step in, but eventually pulled Brooke off of the other girl. Brooke resisted the man's grip and reached for his eyes that were belted to his pants. She grabbed on and gave one good pull before she had the keys in her hands. Brooke fought her way back over to the other girl and started attacking her with the keys. The girl grabbed Brooke's wrists to stop her from hitting her and eventually grabbed the keys from Brooke's grasp. The girl jumped at Brooke and took two quick slices at Brooke's wrists. Brooke immediately fell to the ground, clutching her left wrist. Both were bleeding quite heavily, but the left one was bleeding more profusely. Brooke screamed out in pain and cried. The nurse peered his head out the doorway._

_"Can I get some help in here?" He asked, lazily._

_"I was wrong..." The other girl said, while setting the keys down. "You're not a bitch... you're a crazy bitch." She laughed._

_"...Fuck you." Brooke cried. Two more nurses came in and the three of them pulled her off the ground and dragged her away while her roommate lied down in bed and laughed._

;

"To be honest, I probably shouldn't have slapped her, but she kinda deserved it." Brooke chuckled, finishing up her story.

"Oh, Brooke, I'm sorry."

"Haley, please... stop apologizing." Brooke stood up and put her hands on Haley's arms. "I stayed there to prove that I was worth saving... and now I know I am. You shouldn't be apologizing... I should be thanking you for saving me." Haley smiled with a tear in her eye and hugged Brooke.

"You clean up real well, Brooke Davis..." A tear fell from Haley's eye. "Welcome back." Haley smiled wide and wiped her tear away.

"It's good to be back." Brooke said, almost forcing a smile on her face. For the first time in a long time, Brooke felt happy again. And she realized that her best friend was the one who got her there. And she was more than thankful to have Haley James Scott in her life. She knew that they were sticking together for a very long time.

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><p><em><strong>That's the end of chapter 7, let me know what you think. ;D<strong>_


	8. I Know Who You Are

**_SO SO SO SO sorry for the delayed update. Because of my pregnancy and starting college and everything else, I haven't had time to update this, but I know how many people were looking forward to seeing Julian in this story. If I were to pick a song for this chapter... this one was a little difficult, because I went through all the songs on my ipod and couldn't find one damn song. My friend GhostWhispererJimel suggested this song, and it's pretty accurate, I think. I'm pretty sure there's a song that works better, but this is all I got. Anyway, the song for this chapter is "Bam" by Miranda Cosgrove. It's not totally perfect for the song, but it works pretty well. Anyway, again, sorry for the late update. Won't happen again... maybe... no promises. XD_**

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><p>Brooke stepped inside her best friend's office and saw her blonde friend sitting at her desk, doing paperwork. She grined and walked in her direction. "Peyton Sawyer!"<p>

Peyton looked up from her work and smiled wide when she caught sight of her best friend who she hadn't seen in over six months. She got up and went to hug the once brunette-haired girl. "Brooke Davis! My god, look at you! You look so beautiful! Oh my, god, I love your hair! How the hell are you?"

"I'm good, I'm really good. How've you been? I heard you and Luke are having a little shotgun wedding."

Peyton chuckled. "Emphasis on the word 'little'. We really just want it to be a small wedding since we can't afford much... Did Haley tell you?"

"Mhm... I'm really happy for you ."

"Thanks." There was a pregnant pause before Brooke said anything back in response.

"You really love him?"

"I do," Peyton smiled.

"Good... Like I said, I'm... I'm happy for you," Brooke lied. Her heart was breaking inside.

"Well... enough about me... How's life on the inside?"

"Peyton, it's rehab not prison," She said, amused.

"Ah... Sorry."

"That's okay... It's kinda sucky, by the way. Some of those bitches have got some serious problems," Brooke joked and sat on top of Peyton's desk, while Peyton went back to doing work.

"I'm glad you can laugh about this, Brooke. You've really come a long way."

"Well, don't let this pretty face fool you; I'm still kinda broken up inside," Brooke frowned.

"Yeah, I don't doubt it. You've been through a lot."

"Yeah, well... what Fletcher did to me was... pretty awful."

"He wasn't a very good boyfriend, was he?"

"He wasn't a very good _person_. He shouldn't be allowed back on the street."

"Well, Brooke, I know he wasn't very good to you, but come on."

"...Haley didn't tell you, did she?"

"Tell me what?" Another long pause sat in the room before anything was said. Peyton waited in anticipation, while Brooke tried to hide her fear of what she was about to say.

"... Fletcher..." Brooke couldn't find the words to finish her sentence and was, luckily cut off by the sound of a man.

"Knock, knock." The man stepped inside and pretended to knock on the door that was already open. He saw Peyton but looked straight past Brooke. But Brooke noticed him. She noticed everything about him. She memorized every manerism, every step, every twitch. If she could've, she would've memorized every thread pattern on his jacket, but sadly, he didn't stay long enough. Brooke was mezmerized by this man that she had never seen before. He stood over six feet tall wearing black slacks, a tweed jacket, and an unbearably beautiful grin on his face. She sat that with her mouth agape, not caring if anyone saw that she was staring in awe. The man placed his right hand on his left wrist and smiled when he saw Peyton. Peyton looked up, but was not amused. In fact, she almost groaned when she saw him. Peyton's voice knocked Brooke back into reality.

"What do you want, Julian?" Peyton sneered.

"I'm looking for Lucas. Is he around?" Julian said, in a charismatic tone.

"No, he stepped out. He's running some errands for me."

"Oh, okay, well I just had some things I needed to talk to him about." He spotted Brooke sitting on Peyton's desk and gave her that grin that made her melt inside. "...Hi."

Brooke was stunned. She almost couldn't get any words out of her mouth. "...Hi."

"Julian, this is Brooke. Brooke, this is Julian." Peyton introduced the two. Julian approached Brooke and held out his hand as a gesture.

"Hi... Julian Baker." He gave his signature grin again.

"Brooke-"

"Davis... I know who you are."

"Oh?" She couldn't believe her already knew her, although most people in Tree Hill do.

"Doesn't everyone?" She had forgotten for that moment that she was a celebrity. Hell, she had been in the tabloids for everything- good and bad.

"So... what are you doing in Tree Hill, Julian?"

"I'm, uh, adapting Lucas's novel into a movie."

"_Unkindness of ravens_?"

"That's correct."

"Oh, so you're like, what, a movie director?" Brooke started flirting with Julian. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it.

"Haha, I wish. I've never directed a day in my life. No, I'm just a producer."

"Ah."

"But a very damn good one, at that." Brooke laughed. Brooke hadn't laughed, or smiled for that matter, since she started having problems with Fletcher. It was really amazing that this man that she spoke to for two minutes made her smile and laugh, even though her best friends couldn't get her to do that. Peyton saw the interaction between the two and was not happy about it. She set her pen down, without showing she was angry and stood up.

"Julian, can I speak with you for a second?"

"...Sure." Julian and Peyton walked out of the room and out of Brooke's earshot. Peyton looked back to make sure Brooke couldn't hear them and then turned back to Julian and gave him a glare.

"You are flirting with her!" She said, indignantly.

"No, I'm not."

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Leave Brooke alone." She demanded.

"Why?"

"Brooke is my _best_ friend, and she has been through _so_ much lately, okay, so leave her alone."

"Why?... Because I'd ruin her life?"

"...Yeah."

"Like you ruined mine?"

"...Not fair."

"I think it's plenty fair, Peyton."

"_You're_ the one that walked out on me and slept with some actress."

"Really? You're still on this? I left you because I knew you were still in love with Lucas, and I was right. I mean, come on Peyton, you're getting married to the guy and you're carrying his baby. I'd hardly say that _I _ruined _your_ life."

"You still walked out on me... and I don't remember _actually_ breaking things off between us until _after_ you got with Skanky McSkanky Pants!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means... look, Julian, Brooke has had a lot of trouble with boys recently, and I'd rather not have you clouding her judgement. Okay?"

"How would I cloud her judgement? I don't even really know her."

"Keep it that way."

"Peyton-"

"Julian, I'm serious."

"I don't doubt it."

"Julian, leave her alone. I'm not gunna say it again."

"Okay, Peyton... I'll leave her alone... It's not like I'm ever gunna see her again anyway."

"...Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay... you can go now." Julian bowed his head a little and walked off. Peyton scoffed away his charm and followed him out.

"When you hear from Lucas, tell him to give me a call, okay?" Julian said, pulling out his phone and walking away.

"Sure." Peyton said, not caring.

"Alright, well, I gotta run." He smiled at Peyton and then at Brooke. "It was nice meeting you Brooke."

"You too," She smiled back. Julian gave another quick smile to Brooke, making sure that Peyton didn't see. He walked away and Brooke stared in the direction he left.

"God, what a jerk!" Peyton blurted as soon as Julian left. Brooke snapped into focus and turned to look at Peyton.

"Do you two have a problem?"

"You bet we do."

"Like what?" Brooke asked, curiously. Peyton looked up and frowned when she saw Brooke. Brooke looked so innocent at that moment. She was just trying to get back to the life she used to live and Peyton felt bad that she was wasting time complaining about her problems with Julian when she realized she dosen't really know what it is to be in pain like Brooke.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it... Anyway, where were we?"

"Oh, you know what... I gotta go, but... it was nice talking to you again Peyton... I missed you." Brooke said, getting up.

"I missed you too, Brooke. Come here." Peyton got up from her seat and hugged Brooke goodbye. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will." Brooke gave Peyton a little nudge on the shoulder and walked off. She walked out of Peyton's office and took five, maybe six, steps out the door before her heart skipped a beat. She ran into Julian who was leaning against the wall, waiting for Brooke. She put her hand to her chest and exhaled deeply, trying to hide the fact she was blushing.

"Hey," He hinted a smiled. Although he wanted to be his charming, charasmatic self, he wanted to be serious with Brooke for a minute.

"Were... were you waiting for me?"

"Maybe..." He teased. The two started walking again. "I, uh, I wanna apologize for Peyton."

"Why?"

"She's had a problem with me for a long time, and so does Lucas. I-I know you two had a lot of catching up to do and I probably ruined that for you."

"No, no, it's fine, really. But, um, how did you know that-?"

"You're all over the tabloids, Brooke... everyone knows what you've been going through lately."

"No, I don't think anyone really knows what I'm going through."

"... No, they-they probably don't. You're right... Listen, this might be a little off-putting for you, considering we don't know each other, but... If you wanna talk..." He hoped Brooke knew what he meant so he didn't have to force himself to say it.

"Oh, you don't- you don't have to do that, I mean, we don't even-"

"Know each other... Yeah, I get that. Look, it's not like I actually have any friends in Tree Hill and I know that it's hard to talk to your friends about how you're feeling... sometimes it's a good thing to talk to someone who barely knows you."

"Trust me, I've been with people who barely know me, I don't need anyone like that in my life."

"And I get that..." Julian looked down, trying to hide his shyness. "Look, just..." Julian reached in his pocket and pulled out a card. "Call me if... if you're ever in a bind or... you just need someone to talk to." He handed her the card and smiled. He 'tipped his hat' and started walking away.

"Julian?" She called to him. He turned around. "Why are you doing this?"

"... Because I've been there." Julian didn't say anything else. He just kept walking. Brooke wanted to say something to stop him, but she couldn't find it in her to say anything to make him stay. She just stood there. She didn't know what she felt. All she knew was that, whatever she was feeling, it as the first time she had ever felt that way in her whole life.

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><p><strong><em>That's the end of chapter eight, let me know what you think. ;D<em>**


	9. Roses Are Red

**_Well, after updating this chapter I realized it was a little short. Note to self: 5 1/2 pieces of college ruled paper is NOT enough to write one chapter of my story. I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, I was kinda stuck as to what to do next, and all of a sudden it hit me! I can't tell you what it is yet, but you'll find out soon enough... This is kinda the rising action of the story, but not really. Anyway, I've been so busy with college and everything that I haven't had time to update. However, we're in the middle of a three day weekend, so I took this opportunity to write. I hope I can finish this story, or get close to finishing, by the end of this year. I can't say how that will all go. Anyway, on a more personal note, I found out last week that I'm having a girl, so YAY! I'm having my very own baby Brooke. (Haha) yeah, so the song for this chapter would probably have to be... "I Got You" by Leona Lewis. If you haven't noticed by this point in the story, I'm a HUGE Bailey fan. I love writing them so much, and this song pretty much portrays their WONDERFUL friendship, and I'm happy to have my very own Haley in my life! (I love you Leah!) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm gunna make a habit of showing you some flashbacks of Fletcher and Brooke's relationship, seeing as how we know almost nothing about them, and it's gunna be important later on. A lot of people have been asking me why Fletcher is the way he is... I don't know if we'll actually find that out. As of right now, he's like that because that's the way I created him. XD Just so you all know, I'm not a big fan of Peyton because I LOVE Brucas... so if I write her coming across like a total bitch, I don't mean it. I just can't write her any differently than how she really is. So, I'm sorry if I step on any Peyton-Bitches toes. XD Anyway, enjoy the next chapter! Yes, Julian's coming back soon... and so is Luke! :D_**

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><p>Brooke's eyelids fell heavy, tired from the stress of the day. She felt a cold rush from her running air conditioner hit her bare legs. She pulled the blanket further over her body, rested her head on the end of the couch, and curled up her legs to keep her warm. It was still light outside- Maybe 4:30. She had juse always felt tired, since she had been home. She closed her eyes, tighter, hoping she would finally fall asleep. An hour had past by, but to her it felt like twenty seconds. She was shocked awake by the sound of her doorbell that seemed louder than it was in reality. She stumbled up in a daze, approaching the door slowly. She took so long to get to the door that she expected to hear the doorbell go off again, but didn't. She peered through the peep hole and didn't see anyone. She hesitantly opened the door and was startled to find a large box on her doorstep. She picked it up, gingerly, and looked around to see if someone was nearby. She stepped back inside and looked at the box. It was a gold box with a lustrious shine and a dark black velvet ribbon to tie it up. She set the box down on the couch and admired it for a good thirty seconds before noticing a small card sitting underneath the ribbon. She pulled out the card and looked at what it said. She read it over once before saying it out loud. "Roses are red..." She smiled, knowing what the rest of it would say. She flipped the card over to see, but it was blank. She smiled again, amused by the game that was being played. She set the card down and opened the box. She grabbed the white tissue paper and pulled it out of the box, revealing a stunning red JS Collections strapless taffeta dress inside. Her mouth gaped at the sight of the gown because it was the most beautiful thing she had seen in a long time. She took the 'shoulders' of the dress and pulled it out of the box. She felt so delighted at that moment and so thrilled that someone would do that for her. Then she wondered, <em>'why?' <em>and _'who?'._ She didn't know anyone- at least she didn't think she knew anyone- that would go to the trouble to do this for her. She was startled when her doorbell rang a second time. She, quickly, put the dress back in the box and slid it underneath the couch. She bounced up and answered the door.

"Hey !" Peyton shouted when Brooke opened the door.

"Hey Brooke." Haley politely said, noticing Brooke was tired and that Peyton's greeting was a little much.

"H...i... What are you guys doing here?"

"It's girls night!" Peyton shouted again, this time a little more mellow.

"You didn't forget, did you?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, I did... um... come in." Haley and Peyton both walked inside.

"That's what she said." Peyton laughed, hoping to get a chuckle out of Brooke. "Sorry..." Peyton said, realizing she wasn't in the mood for sexual innuendo.

"You okay, Brooke?" Haley asked, setting her bag down on the couch.

"I'm fine, I'm just... a little tired." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're not sick or anything are you?" Haley pushed, knowing something was off.

"No, no, I'm fine... just... a little spaced out." She answered.

"...Okay..." Peyton was a tad skeptical. "There's a movie on tonight that we wanted to watch. It's gunna be on soon, is that okay?" Brooke swallowed hard and nodded. She didn't really want anybody over, but she knew she had to reconnect with friends in order to get better. Peyton sat down on the couch and turned on the movie while Haley walked into the kitchen.

"I'm gunna get a drink, do you guys want anything?" Haley asked.

"No thanks." Brooke responded.

"Root beer?... Brooke, do you have rootbeer?"

"I-I don't know." She answered.

"I restocked your fridge right before you came home, I hope that's okay." Haley said while grabbing a rootbeer for Peyton.

"Yeah, it's fine." Brooke said, stunned and overjoyed that Haley did so much for her. Haley plopped down on the couch next to Peyton. "Aw, the movie already started!" Haley stated, upset. Brooke turned her attention to the movie.

_"Lyle, just come here for a second..." _The girl from the movie begged, subtly. Broke's mind wavered and suddenly was in a memory.

_"Fletcher, just come here for a second..." Brooked begged her boyfriend, who was anxious to leave the house._

_"Babe, I gotta go." He lied._

_"Fletch... it's just a talk... please?" He sighed and sat down on the couch, across from Brooke who was sitting on the coffee table._

_"Okay... what?" Brooke rubbed her hands together and sighed. She was very nervous to talk to Fletcher about this and she didn't know why._

_"We've... been together for a long time now-"_

_"Brooke, we're not gunna talk about marriage." He demanded, cutting off Brooke's sentence._

_"No, no, no. I'm not talking about marriage. Okay, I know that's a big step for you... A-and I know you're not ready for that."_

_"What is it then?" Brooke closed her eyes and sighed again._

_"I wanna have a baby." She smiled wide. Fletcher, on the other hand, did not._

_"What?" He asked, with anger growing in his voice._

_"I wanna have a baby." Brooke repeated. He took a long time to answer._

_"No." Brooke didn't know how to respond._

_"What?"_

_"No." He said again. "No, Brooke. Out of the question!"_

_"But Fletcher-!"_

_"No! I'm not raising a baby! What would posess you to think that I would be ready for a baby when I don't even want to get married?"_

_"Fletcher-"_

_"I mean, what, are you out of your goddamn mind?"_

_"Fletcher, this isn't a joke for me, this is real!"_

_"I don't care! There is not way in hell that you and I would EVER do that!"_

_"...You can't stop me from getting pregnant!" She fought back._

_"I can if I'm not here!" He yelled. He jumped off the couch and headed for the door._

_"Fletcher, stop!" She demanded, following after him. She grabbed his right forearm and tried to pull him in. He turned around and slapped her across the face. She stood in shock and stared at him with tears in her eyes. He looked at her feeling a little ashamed, but not entirely. He looked at her, knowing what he did was wrong, but walked out anyway. Not only was that the first time he ever laid a violent hand on her, but he just walked out. He didn't stay to apologize or promise he would never do it again. He just left. Brooke didn't know what to think or feel. She put her hand against her cheek and slid down the wall to the floor. She buried her head in her knees and just started bawling._

"Poor girl." Brooke was shaken out of her flashback by the sound of Peyton's voice. She looked back at the TV and saw a girl on the floor crying.

"Yeah, she just wanted a family... Why do all men have to be jerks?" Haley said.

"Can you really say that when you're married to Nathan?" Peyton asked.

"Nathan's the exception." Haley stated, proudly.

"And Lucas!" She added, laughing. Haley laughed with her. Brooke stood behind them, saddened. Haley turned around and saw Brooke.

"Brooke, you okay?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm... just gunna go to bed..."

"Now? It's barely six!" Peyton blurted.

"Do you want us to leave?" Haley asked.

"No, you don't have to. I just.. I just don't feel well." Brooke said, placing her hand against her forehead. "You guys can stay, just... lock the door when you leave?" Peyton nodded and turned back to the movie. Haley watched Brooke stumble into her room and frowned.

"I'll be right back, Peyton." Haley said, getting up.

"Okay, but you're gunna miss the best part." She said, throwing a piece of popcorn in her mouth. Haley walked into Brooke's room and found her sitting on her bed, with her head hanging down.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Brooke shook her head and sniffled. Haley frowned and sat down next to Brooke, giving her a big hug. "I'm always gunna be here for you, . Don't forget that." Brooke nodded. "So what's going on?"

"I just... sometimes you remember things that you don't wanna remember, you know?" She tried not to cry.

"Yeah, I know... Do you want me to stay the night with you, Brooke?"

"Would you?"

"Of course. And I wanna be here for you if you need it."

"Well, you don't have to-"

"But I'm going to." Haley smiled. "Let me call Nathan and tell him I'm not gunna be home tonight... and I'll get rid of Peyton in a few hours." Haley winked at Brooke, and Brooke let out a little chuckle. Haley got up and looked back at Brooke when she reached the door. "When I get back, what's say you and me have a little girl time?"

"...I'd like that, Haley... Thank you." Haley smiled at Brooke again and walked out of the room. Brooke sighed and lied down on the bed. That night was one of the first times Brooke was able to rest easy in a long time. She couldn't tell you how greatful she was to have a friend like Haley James Scott when she needed someone most.

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><p><strong><em>That's the end of chapter nine, let me know what you think. ;D<em>**


	10. There's A Guy

**_I know that this chapter is very very short, but I didn't want to clutter this chapter with unnecessary banter. All that's in this chapter is everything you need to know and nothing extra. I've also been extremely busy with a number of things. Anyway, there's a lot in store for this story coming up very very soon. I promise that the next few chapters will be full of all kinds of wonderful Brulian fluff, etc. I'm really really excited to get this story going, and it's been taking me a while to update. I'll try and keep this story moving faster because I'm so excited to get this ball rolling. Anyway, the song for this chapter is "Come Back Down" from Lifehouse. There's not much to this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Read and Review please!_**

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><p>"Thank you Haley." Brooke said while putting more nail polish on her toes.<p>

"For what?" She asked, paying more attention to her own toes than to Brooke.

"Being my friend." Haley looked up, feeling proud that Brooke would say that to her. "I don't know, I feel like I don't say it enough. And even if I said it a million times it still wouldn't be enough."

"Brooke-"

"No, I mean it. You're good to me Haley, even when you don't have to be."

"No, I'm not-"

"You are. You're the reason I'm still alive today... You saved my life."

"But are you happy, Brooke?"

"I'm trying to be. I'm hoping it'll get easier."

"I'm sure it will, Brooke. You're a fighter."

"...Yeah..." She said, in disbelief.

"What?"

"I don't know, it's just that... everyone always looks for me to be tough when something goes wrong... and it's like people don't notice that I'm not indestructable."

"I know you're not, Brooke." Haley brushed Brooke's hair out of her face. "You're human like the rest of us. While we all look different on the outside, we all bleed the same blood... we cry the same tears. Truth be told, I was... jealous of you in high school." Haley admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah... I couldn't imagine how someone as troubled as you could make it through every single day. And while you're not indestructable, it takes a lot to break down Brooke Davis. But, you survived every day looking absolutely beautiful every second." Brooke chuckled and tried to not to cry. "You're a warrior Brooke, but we have our breaking points."

"You always know what to say."

"I'm an English teacher. I have a way with words." Brooke couldn't help but giggle.

"You're a great friend Haley James." Haley smiled.

"So are you."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, anything."

"...There's a guy." She admitted.

"What?"

"Look, I know I probably shouldn't be thinking about being in a relationship right now, but... these are real feelings... I'm in love."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've never felt this way with a guy before. Not with anyone. Not even with Lucas."

"Really?"

"Yeah... and I don't know if it's right for me to be thinking like that because I barely even know him."

"Who is he?"

"His name's Julian."

"That guy that's adapting Lucas's novel?" She thought.

"You know him?"

"Know him? Lucas and Peyton won't shut up about him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they're always mentioning that..." Haley's voice trailed off.

"What?"

"That... Brooke they say he's not a good guy."

"He is too."

"How do you know?"

"He said that he'd listen if I ever needed to talk."

"How do you know he's being sincere Brooke?"

"I don't, but... I can feel that his intentions are true."

"But you have no proof."

"...Why are you so quick to believe Peyton and Lucas and not me?" She changed her attitude.

"Because Lucas spends every day with him and Peyton went out with him. They-"

"Wait, what? She didn't tell me that."

"... Lucas said Peyton and Julian dated in Los Angeles after graduation and they broke up after he slept with some actress."

"What?" She didn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm sorry, Brooke."

"... I was so sure he was different..." Brooke's heart sunk. "He even bought me that dress."

"What?" Haley had no clue what she was talking about. Brooke got up and walked into the living room while Haley followed. Brooke pulled the box out from underneath the couch and showed Haley the dress. "Oh, my god! That's... that's beautiful! Are you sure it's from Julian?"

"No... but who else would it be from?" Haley saw the look in Brooke's eyes and felt extremely bad for her.

"Brooke... just... be careful. If you wanna be with him, you need to make sure you don't forget your past. Okay, promise me that."

"...Okay... I promise, Hales." Brooke changed the subject quickly. "How's Jamie?"

"He's great." Haley smiled. "I think he's falling for this girl at his school."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's really cute. And he's turning into a really smart kid."

"He gets it from his mom." Haley saw the way Brooke's eyes lit up when she talked about Jamie.

"You wanna spend the day with Jamie tomorrow?"

"Can I?"

"I would love for you two to hang out... He misses his Aunt Brooke."

"And I miss my God Son."

"You're thinking about it again, aren't ya?"

"What?"

"Having kids?"

"I'm always thinking about that, Haley."

"You'll get it eventually, Brooke."

"I hope so. And even though I'm dying for that to happen, I know I'm still not ready."

"I'm proud of you, Brooke... You're getting stronger every day."

"'Strength'... it's a complex thing, isn't it?"

"The most... It's getting late, Brooke... do you wanna call it a night?"

"Actually... I was thinking you and I could take a trip down memory lane... back when things were good."

"I'd like that." Haley smiled and walked back into the bedroom with Brooke. Haley was proud of Brooke for finding her strength again. She knew that it was taking Brooke everything she had to still be alive, and that's why Haley looked up to her best friend more than anyone else.

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><p><strong><em>That's the end of chapter ten, let me know what you think! ;D<em>**


	11. Someone Like You

**_Hey ya'll. Sorry to keep you waiting so long. I haven't been able to write this because I've been in the hospital. It's okay, I'm fine now. I had spontaneous pneumothorax... that's doctor-talk for my right lung collapsed. I have terrible asthma and I guess it just caught up with me. Nothing serious now. I'm actually on my laptop in the hospital right now, but I'll be home tomorrow afternoon, so all is good. This chapter took me a while to get done, obviously, but I really like it and I hope you do to. Since I'm lazy, let's just pick "Someone Like You" by Adele for this chapter. It really doesn't have a whole lot to do with this chapter, but I'm lazy. Anyway... yeah, enjoy this chapter!_**

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><p>"Woah! Aunt Brooke did you see that?" Jamie shouted, jumping up and down from excitement. He had just thrown a frisbee to see how far he could get it to go.<p>

"I did, buddy. That was awesome!"

"How do we get it back?"

"Well, we gotta go find it."

"Okay!" Jamie bounded in the direction of the frisbee, but Brooke stopped him.

"Woah there, boy genius! We gotta go together." She said, grabbing ahold of his tiny hand. They started walking to find the frisbee.

"I'm glad you could play today Aunt Brooke." Jamie said, rubbing icecream off his face. Brooke had been poiling him all afternoon.

"Me too buddy." Brooke loved Jamie so much more than anything else in her life. He was the one thing keeping her going.

"Hey, Aunt Brooke?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you're so sad all the time?" Jamie asked, taking another lick of his icecream.

"What do you mean?" She asked, shocked that Jamie had noticed.

"Mama says that you're always sad all the time, and I don't want you to be sad."

Brooke knelt down and looked at Jamie. "Jamie, look at me. I'm okay. I'm fine, I'm not sad."

"You're not?"

"No."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Swear?"

"Swear."

"Swear on Chester?"

"Yes, buddy... swear on Chester." Broke chuckled.

"Okay..." They started wakling again. "Then how come mama says you're sad all the time?"

"Well, that's because I don't get to see you everyday?" She lied to spare Jamie the harsh truth.

"Really?"

"Absolutely." Brooke rubbed her hands through Jamie's hair and smiled.

"LOOK! THERE IT IS!" Jamie pointed at the frisbee. He released his grip from Brooke's hand and ran in that direction. She smiled at his excitement and went after him.

"Let's go play something else, Jame, okay?"

"Okay." He whined.

"Come on, I'll buy you another icecream."

"Okay!" He cheered. They made it back to the center of the park, and Jamie ran for a swing. "Push me Aunt Brooke!" He demanded. She did. While Brooke didn't really have much to do there, it was worht it to get to hang out with Jamie. She looked around the park and saw all the other moms with their kids. She was jealous. Jealous that she couldn't have what they had. When she turned her attention to Jamie, she saw Julian standing by a bench with a camera.

"Stay here buddy, alright?" She said in a daze.

"Okay!" Jamie shouted, still on the swing.

Brooke walked away from Jamie and took slow, delicate steps toward Julian. He saw Brooke coming toward him, but didn't acknowledge her presence right away.

"Hey." She whispered, nervous to be around him.

"Shh." He responded, pointing his camera at a mom who was helping her child go down the slide for the first time. He recorded the scene then shut off his camera. He turned to look at Brooke and smiled. "Sory about that."

"It's alright." She smiled back. "Um, what are you doing here?" She asked, almost blushing.

"Just doing some filming. I don't get to do much of that on set." He said, detting his camera down on the bench. "Cute kid." He said, eyeing Jamie. Brooke turned arouns and saw Jamie chaing after a bird.

"Oh, he's my God son."

"Oh." He said, a little relieved Brooke didn't have a kid of her own, knowing she wasn't with someone. "You're babysitting?"

"Yep. I took him off his parents' hands for the day."

"Oh, that's nice of you."

"Yeah. I kinda wanted to spend the day with him anyway. I love kids."

"Yeah?"

Brooke nodded. "It's kinda what I do."

"Could've fooled me."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's just that I know you've... been through stuff. Sorry if I'm intruding, it's just-"

"No, it's okay. I know that a lot of people know what's been going on with me..."

"But does anyone understand it?"

"No. I'm not sure I even understand it."

"I get that."

"What did you mean, by the way? When you said 'I've been there'."

"When, yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think I know you well enough to let you in on that."

"No?" I thought you knew everything about me." She teased.

"What I know about you, Brooke, is from the eyes of the tabloid writers and from the words of Lucas Scott. Since meeting you yesterday I know that what I thought I knew about you was barely scratching the surface. Besides, anyone can look in your eyes and see that more than one thing in your life has broken the beauty inside of you."

"You figured all that out in one day?" She said, practically shaking, almost crying from emabarrasment.

"Twenty hours." He grinned. "But I can also tell that someone will be able to fix that over time. Hopefully you can do it on your own." Their conversation came to a standstill and just as Brooke was about to respond, Jamie cried out in pain. Without Brooke knowing, Jamie had made his way to the top of the playground, but was pushed off by some bratty kid named Chuck. Brooke rushed to his aide, with Julian following closely behind. Jamie grabbed his knee and continued to scream out in pain.

"Jamie, are you okay?" She asked sweetly, getting down to his level.

"No." He blubbered. Julian could, obviously tell he was in pain and took control.

"Hey bud. My name's Julian. You mind telling me your name?"

"J-James Lucas Scott." He cried, trying to still be polite.

"Okay, James Lucas Scott-" He mimicked "-How old are you, bud?"

"F-five."

"Fiive? Well, that's perfect then!" He said, excited. "Can you hold up your hand for me?" He does. "Okay good! Now I want you to take a finger and put it on your nose." Jamie did what he was asked, and tried to hold back his crying. Brooke watched Julian take charge and couldn't help but smiled. "Alright, now close your eyes... what do you see?"

"Nothing... Dark."

"Do you see any colors?"

"...Yeah..."

"Great, what color?"

"Green." He smiled.

"Do you like green?"

"Yeah." He smiled wider. "And I see little purple dots."

"How do you feel about purple?"

"It's girly." He turned his nose up. Julian chuckled at his innocence.

"Any shapes? Any squiggles?"

"Yeah! They're orange!"

"Good, now open your eyes." Jamie opened his eyes and smiled wide.

"I don't hurt anymore!" He cheered. "Thanks Julian!" He stood up and hugged Julian tightly. Jamie jumped up and went right back to playing.

"That was sweet of you. Thank you."

"Oh, it's not a problem." He smiled.

"No, really, you didn't have to do that."

"I just reacted on instinct, Brooke, it was nothing."

"Yes it was."

"...So, how's Lucas?" He changed the subject fast.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since-"

"Since rehab?"

"Yeah... that was six months ago... I think he's avoiding me.

"I doubt it. Anyone can tell her cares about you a lot... Enough to get you the help you needed."

"Haley's the one that did that for me." She corrected.

"Well, he tried."

"I thought you didn't want to pry." She teased.

"Eh, that's hard to do with you." He smiled. "How _have_ you been, by the way?"

"You're pushy aren't you?" Julian chuckled. "I've been better... but I've been worse too."

"Just one of those days?"

"Nah... today's been a good day... I've just been better."

"I know the feeling."

"...But, hey, I'm six months sober and i'm... getting my life back on track. I'm thinking about moving in with Haley for a while."

"How come?"

"I'm just... I don't know, I guess I'm afraid to be alone at my house. It's safer when I'm with Haley."

"Well, what do you mean by safer? I don't think you feel safer when you're with someone, I think you just stop being afraid."

"If people weren't afraid, they'd never really live."

"A true statement if there ever was one." Brooke smiled.

"You know, you don't have to run from your home to stop being afraid."

"Then what do I do?"

"Have someone stay with you; face your fears."

"Someone like you?"

"Your words, not mine." Julian chuckled. "No, but, seriously... don't run. If you're ever afraid, just call someone over. Anyone that truly cares about you will come." Brooke smiled, almost fawning over Julian. She was about to thank him when Jamie came over.

"Aunt Brooke, I wanna go home." He whined.

"Okay, buddy, we can go home." She turned back to Julian. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. Take care of the kid, okay?" He said, walking away. Brooke smiled again and walked back to the car with Jamie. Jamie turned back to watch Julian leave.

"I like him." Jamie said.

"Yeah... me too..." Brooke smiled.

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><p><strong><em>That's the end of chapter eleven; let me know what you think! ;D<em>**


	12. Stop Being A Child

**_Hey guys! It's GhostWhispererJimel! Some of you know me and some of you don't. Anyway, those of you that do know me, you know that I have been co-writing this fic with . That girl is one of my very very very best friends and it makes me so happy to write this with her. Those of you that know her pretty well know that she just had her baby, so she hasn't been able to get on as often. Well, last night she emailed me a rough copy of this chapter and I fixed a few things up for her and here we are. :) A little Holiday present for those of you that have been waiting. Hopefully, she and I will be able to get more updates out to you now that I'm done with school for a few weeks and she has her baby. Anyway, she wanted me to tell you all that she loves you for reading and for reviewing and that she can't wait to write more for you guys. She also wanted me to tell you that the song for this chapter is "I Wonder" by Kellie Pickler. I've never heard this song, so I can't recommend it, but she says it's amazing. I'll take her word for it, so have a listen. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long._**

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><p>The persistent knocking at the door was finally eating away at Brooke. She pulled her covers off of her body and, slowly, got out of bed. She muddled over to the door and was shocked to see Victoria Davis standing in her doorway.<p>

"What are you doing here? It's late." She said, annoyed.

"Can I come in?" She asked, snobbishly and ignored her response and walked inside anyway. "Oops, already in."

"Mom, you can't do this." She said, closing the door.

"Do what?" She asked, unaware.

"This! Mom, you ruined my life, do you realize that?"

"How on Earth did I ruin your life?"

"You took my company away from me."

"It was our company, darling."

"No, mom." She said, sternly. "It was MY company. I'M the one that started Clothes Over Bro's, and I am the reason it is as successful as it is!"

"And yet the company isn't sinking without you, is it? Brooke, stop acting like a child."

"I'm not, mom, but this was _my _company, _my _dream, _my _life and you took it away from me!"

"Oh, please, you aren't ready to run a company! You can barely even dress yourself." Victoria took a look at what Brooke was wearing. "My god, what _are _you wearing?" She stated, addressing the fact that she didn't like the pajamas Brooke was wearing.

"Oh, relax. They're store-bought."

"...Is that what you've come to? Buying... retail?"

"Oh, mom, seriously? It's called living life! In real life you buy things!"

"Yeah, but, you buy _nice _things, Brooke."

"Not when you don't have money."

"Well, how come you don't have any money?"

"Because I'm not working!" Brooke exploded.

"Oh... Well... what happened to that... _boy_ you were dating? Felix was it?"

"Fletcher." She corrected. "He's gone." She said, somberly, sitting on the couch.

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it, mom."

"Oh, cheer up. So, you broke up. Who cares?"

"I do mom! And we didn't just 'break up'..." She stopped herself before getting more into detail.

"Well then what?"

"Forget it. You don't care."

"Of course I do. I'm your mother."

"Yeah, well, if you really cared, you would know at least ONE thing about my life... and I don't think you do."

"Brooke, I know more about your life than you think."

Brooke scoffed. "Whatever you say, mother."

"I do. Despite what you think, I'm not all terrible."

"Please! You're like the devil in a designer suit."

"You're damn right it's designer!... Brooke, what's gotten into you?"

"I told you already mom."

"No, it's not that. You've got that dumb look on your face that I had when I first met your father... who's the guy?"

"No one mom."

"Oh, come on, Brooke! You think I can't tell that you've been swooning over some guy? Who is he?"

"He's no one that you should be concerned about!"

"Is he the one that bought you that hideous dress?" She said, pointing at the red dress Brooke got a while back that was sitting in her closet.

"Mom, what do you want? What are you here for?"

"I just wanted to see my daughter."

"Yeah, I don't buy that. I think you want something... but mom, there's nothing more that I can give you. Go home... and stay out of my life."

"Brooke, you can't shut me out. I'm your mother!"

"Not anymore."

"I'm always going to be your mother, Brooke. I gave birth to you, I was the first one to hold you, I was the first person you smiled at. I taught you... everything you know today... At least I'm not your father. We both know that I'm the better end of the deal. How can you just throw me away so easily?"

"Because... you weren't there. You were never there for me."

"What are you talking about? I'm here."

"Now. You're here now. What about all those years I was growing up? Tell the truth, you never wanted to be a part of my life."

"What? Cheerleading, school president. Stop being childish. You were the face of a company, and you took your company as far as you could on your own. Then you came to me when you needed help. It's not my fault that you couldn't handle it all. And I offered you help because you earned it."

"I earned it? A daughter is not supposed to have to earn her mother's help or her love. It is supposed to be unconditional."

"When are you going to stop blaming me for this, Brooke? It's not my fault that you aren't running the company any more. It's your fault."

"All of a sudden it's my fault? How does that make sense? What are you really here for mom?"

"... If you really want to know... I'm offering you a chance to come back to the company. That's my offer."

"No... you can't buy my love, mom, and that includes my job in the company."

"Brooke, I get you were being irrational when you quit, but now you're just being stupid. Just come back."

"Why? Because you need me there? Mom, I quit because... because I can't be doing this with you. I left because of what you put me through... and I'm not coming back as long as you're there."

"Stop being a child, Brooke. The offer's gone now. You don't deserve it. You don't deserve anything from me, and that includes money."

"I don't need your money." She said, bitterly.

"Clearly." Victoria said, sarcastically. "You made a big mistake with your life, Brooke. And I tried to help you, but here we are. Goodbye, Brooke." She walked out the door, leaving Brooke baffled. Brooke wanted to get angry, but she couldn't. Instead, she just went back to bed, forgetting everything that her mother had just told her. Because as far as Brooke Davis was concerned, she had nothing left to say to her mother.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So that's that. There probably isn't going to be a whole lot more Victoria Davis in this story, as we both agreed, but that doesn't mean there won't be TONS of drama. Expect to see Luke in the next chapter and lots of Brulian and Brucas drama. :) Happy Holidays! Review!<strong>_


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